


Light Me A Lantern

by Novaviis



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Historical, Blood and Violence, F/M, Forbidden Love, Gun Violence, Heavy Angst, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Post-Canon, Religious Content, Suspense, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:34:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 37
Words: 223,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24103729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Novaviis/pseuds/Novaviis
Summary: Picking up the pieces after being separated for three years isn't as easy as it may seem. A quiet, burning kind of chaos sweeps through Feudal Japan, and it's going to take a lot more than a fairy tale ending to put things back together. They defeated a man who would become the Devil. Can they survive a man who would become a God?[Remastered for Ao3]
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Miroku/Sango (InuYasha)
Comments: 87
Kudos: 140





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I began writing this story in 2014. I was 18, just at the tail end of my first year of University. I am now 25, and about to start my Master's degree.That's a damn long time.
> 
> For those of you who have been following _Light Me A Lantern_ from the beginning, you may know just how far my writing has come since those first days. And you know that it's been a long process. A _long_ process. This story is near and dear to my heart, and I owe so much of my skill today to working on this fic over the years. So, with the series now getting a sequel, I'm setting myself to not only finishing the story, but updating the earlier chapters to my current standards. As I upload the edited chapters here, the original will remain untouched on FF.Net, until I am caught up. Trust me, the comparison is... a lot. I tried to be so pretentious! I was a baby!
> 
> There are a few things I want to clarify as well, before I continue. First, if you've read the original version, you'll notice that I mention in my notes that I had intended to answer a lot of questions I was left with at the end of the series - namely, what happens to Demons in the present day. It was an angle I had been planning to take in the beginning, but as I planned ahead, I had realised that it wasn't something the story would cover. I began focusing more on reincarnation and demon lore, until I had expanded it into territory I hadn't even considered before. In that way, the story evolved. However, the central theme and the ultimate ending have never changed. Not from day one. I've had a very long-term plan from the beginning, and other things changed for the better. 
> 
> Second, the story is heavily influenced by religious conflict. I want to acknowledge that I _know_ that Shintoism and Buddhism have very little separation in Japan and Japanese culture. However, as the story unfolds, you'll see why I decided to explore a situation where it did happen. I tried to do it with respect, just know that I'm aware it's not a real issue. 
> 
> Third, many chapters in this story were lovingly edited by Hanmajoerin, to whom I owe my soul. Thank you for smacking my little rat hands on _so many_ bad writing habits. I'm a better writer because of you.
> 
> And finally, I'm going to get sappy for a bit. _Light Me A Lantern_ has quite literally, with no exaggeration, shaped who I am today. More than that, the friends I've made and the community I've surrounded myself with have saved my life in so many ways.

It rained that night. Long hours after Inuyasha had pulled her from the Bone Eater’s Well, after the tearful reunions and the years worth of catching up, it started to rain. The clouds came with the evening, rolling down from the mountains and bringing with them a gentle shower. Inside Kaede’s hut, they were dry, warm, and together, and talked away the daylight around the firepit. Truth be told, Inuyasha couldn’t remember a word of what had been said all evening. He had spent every single second of it unable to tear his eyes away from Kagome. Kagome, who was there, sitting beside him, her thigh touching his. Kagome, who he’d last seen tearing away from the embrace of her mother, leaning over the lip of the well and screaming his name. Kagome, _here_ , so vibrant and breathtaking that Inuyasha struggled to convince himself he was not dreaming. Every so often, she had caught his gaze, and her eyes would shine with fresh tears even as she had smiled and squeezed his hand.

The rain had come without any of them noticing. Miroku and Sango could hardly stand to tear themselves away from their friend, half afraid she would disappear by morning. However, the twins were getting tired, and they had wanted to get back to their own home before the rain grew too heavy. With goodbyes nearly as emotional as their first greetings that day, they headed off through the village with sleepy children in tow. Before long, Kaede, Rin, and Shippo had all retired to their beds for the night - though Shippo opted for old time’s sake to sleep soundly in Kagome’s lap. Kagome seemed all too happy to accommodate him.

Leaning against the doorframe, Inuyasha stared out into the night, watching as the downpour blurred the lines of the houses and the fields until it seemed they were all that was left in the world. One little island of warm light in the middle of bleak darkness. The fire burned steadily, its heat radiating at his back. Unable to look away for too long, Inuyasha’s eyes gravitated back toward Kagome. She was kneeling by the hearth still, stoking the woof with an iron rod as Shippo slept curled up in her lap. It was her expression, however, that really drew Inuyasha’s attention; a low pull in her brow, and the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Cut that out,” Inuyasha said, though even he had the mind to keep his voice down while the others slept.

Kagome blinked up at him. “Hm?”

“Your lip,” he nodded toward her. “Stop biting it, you’re going to make it bleed.”

Realising for the first time that she was actually doing it, Kagome released, pursing her lips as she looked back into the flames. “Sorry,” she shrugged. “It’s a habit.”

“It’s a bad habit.”

“I’m not going to bite through the skin.”

“And how do you know?”

“I think I would _notice_ , Inuyasha.”

Silence. A pause. The both of them broke at the same time, a stare-down dissolving into subdued laughter. The burning wood gave a loud crack as it collapsed, sending the flames stretching higher. Inuyasha shook his head, gaze drifting out the door again. The rain brought with it a cool breeze, a stark contrast to the dry heat inside the hut. “Are you gonna stay the night?” Kagome’s voice, even at a whisper, cut through the silence. Inuyasha let the doormat drop back into its place, looking at her in confusion. Kagome ducked her head. “I mean, I know its raining, I just wasn’t sure if you actually... _stayed_ here often, I know you don’t- or you didn’t like being cooped up.”

Inuyasha pushed away from the wall, stepping up onto the raised floor. “You kidding?” he scoffed. “I'm not turning my back on you for a second. For all I know, you could fall into another dimension again.” As he said this, he lowered himself down with his back against the wall.

Kagome laughed. “I guess old habits die hard.”

“Not funny,” Inuyasha glowered.

“Oh, it was a _little_ funny.”

He loathed that she was right. Inuyasha held up his glare for all of ten seconds before he gave in with a sigh, lifting his right arm from his side. “Alright, c’mere,” he huffed.

Kagome beamed. Tenderly slipping Shippo off of her lap, she set him down on the spare bedroll, eliciting only a sleeping moan in response from the kitsune boy. Now freed, Kagome crawled over to Inuyasha and deposited herself flush against his side. His arm came down around her, pulling her close while she lay her head against his shoulder. Inuyasha felt so whole in that moment it was a wonder how he’d slept a single night without her there. It was _stupid_ how much he missed her. He had his best friend back, his Kagome.

There was too much between them. Far too much to parse through in one night, too many years of repressed feelings. Surprisingly, however... Inuyasha was alright with that. It was a difficult thought to wrap his head around, but he had Kagome here again. They had _time._ There was no rush. Time had changed them both, and it would take time all the same to get to know one another again. Tonight would be dedicated to the raw questions, and that was enough.

“Did you ever try?” Inuyasha found himself asking before the thought had fully formed in his mind.

Kagome needed no clarification. “Of course I tried,” she murmured, playing with the edges of his sleeve. “I tried going after you the second you...” her voice choked. “But I was just cut off. I tried so hard... I sprained my ankle just trying to jump in.”

Inuyasha held her tighter, pressing his face into the top of her head, breathing in that sweet and heady scent. Kagome let the sleeve of his robe fall back into its place, her hand instead coming to rest hesitantly over his heart. “What about you?” she asked. He could still hear the tears she tried so desperately to keep at bay, dripping into her voice. “Did you ever give up?”

Inuyasha’s reply was immediate. “Never.”

She nodded, closing her eyes. “Did... you ever feel like you should?”

This time, his answer came with a pause. “Yes...”

The rain picked up outside. A rumble of distant thunder rolled through the valley. Kagome shifted to get comfortable at his side, drawing her bare legs in. Leaning forward to disturb her as little as possible, Inuyasha pulled the blanket from off the bedroom and draped it over her. She smiled content and exhausted, as she drew it up over her shoulders, sparing half to cover Inuyasha. To his credit, he didn’t need it, but Inuyasha accepted it nonetheless. “Did you miss it here?” he muttered.

“Yeah,” Kagome yawned again his chest. From this angle, he couldn’t quite see her face. He could, however, feel the dampness seeping through his haori. Inuyasha nearly didn’t hear it when Kagome whispered into his chest. “Did you miss me?”

It should have surprised him, when his eyes burned and his vision unfocused, throat tightening he could barely speak. Somehow, it didn’t. “More than you could know.”

Kagome’s only reply was a stiff nod before the tension slowly drained from her body. Within minutes, she was asleep in his arms. Inuyasha watched her take each breath as if he could commit it to memory, so entranced by her mere presence that he didn’t notice movement from the other side of the hearth.

“I can assure you, Inuyasha,” Kaede’s voice had his head snapping up to meet her fond look from over the flames, “you need not stare at the girl all night long. She will still be there in the morning.”

Inuyasha pointedly ignored the heat rising in his cheeks. “I thought you were asleep,” he grumbled.

“So I can see,” Kaede replied with a smile.

Inuyasha was unwilling to give the smug old woman the satisfaction of getting a reaction from him. He scowled at her, but the both of them knew that his heart wasn’t in it. Kaede laughed quietly as she rose from her bedroll, and hobbled to a chest on the far side of the hut. Inuyasha watched her for a moment, his gaze soon drawn back to Kagome. “It still doesn’t seem real,” Inuyasha finally confessed. “But... I know she isn’t going anywhere this time. That part of our story is over.”

Kaede paused with her hands on the lid of the chest, looking back over her shoulder at the half-demon. “None of our stories are ever truly over, Inuyasha,” she said as she lifted the lid. “They just continue with different people.” Kaede reached inside, producing a large blanket with different scraps of fabric all sewn together. That in hand, along with a needle and thread, Kaede closed the chest again and returned to her bedroll.

Inuyasha watched as Kaede sat down an pulled the blanket across her lap. In the light now, he could see that each piece of fabric had been hand embroidered, in a fashion he’d never seen before. “What is that?” he asked, though his attention was immediately drawn back to Kagome as she stirred in her sleep.

Kaede plunged the needle into the fabric. “Just a very old story of mine. I think it is about time I finished it.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kaede was singing in the garden when Kagome woke up that morning. It was the first thing she heard, long before she’d even opened her eyes; amoung the babbling stream and the birds singing to the dawn was a weathered voice, humming through a tune Kagome somehow found vaguely familiar. She was almost positive she’d never heard it before. The thought passed as easily as it came, lazily drifting through her sleep heavy head. Kagome rolled onto her side with a long sigh, stretching her arms above her head as her legs tangled into her blanket. Every morning, she found herself surprised to wake up on her bamboo mat, still expecting the hatefully soft mattress in her childhood bedroom. And, ever morning, Kagome opened her eyes to the humble interior of Kaede’s hut, and spent the first several minutes convince herself that she was not dreaming. The sound of the birds, and the stream, and the idly humming Priestess was always what convinced her, in the end. Sounds like these didn’t exist in modern Tokyo. Kagome closed her eyes once more, snuggling down into the pillow.

Light footsteps padded into the hut. A shadow blocked out the soft morning sunlight. Kagome reluctantly opened her eyes and instantly yelped, face to face with a pair of wide brown eyes staring at her upside down. Recoiling back from the fight, it took a moment for Kagome’s mind to catch up with her eyes.

Rin, for her part, did not so much as flinch. She was practically bent over sideways, her hair dragging against the floor by her dirty-covered feet. “Kagome?” she arched a brow. “Are you still asleep?”

Deflating with a loud sigh, Kagome turned her face into her pillow. “Not anymore, I’m not.”

“I meant before,” Rin shrugged. She seemed entirely content to have this conversation upside down, Kagome noted. “You sure sleep in late.”

“Mhm,” Kagome groaned into the pillow. Finally admitting defeat, she pushed herself upright, smoothing her hair out of her face. “Guess I’m still not used to waking up with the sun.”

Rin frowned as she stood up straight again. “What else would you wake up with?”

“Nothing,” Kagome smiled, casting her eyes down to her lap with a shake of her head

Thankfully, Rin did not seem to think further on it. “Oh. Well, Lady Kaede wants me to tell you that she wants you to do some foraging in the forest this morning.”

“Uhuh,” Kagome yawned, covering her mouth with one hand. “Yeah, got it... Kaede, forest... mhm, okay, be right out.” Satisfied her message had been delivered, Rin was soon scampering out of the hut and into the village, leaving the doormat swinging in her wake. Kagome stretched her arms over her head, curling her toes under the heavy blanket, before releasing the tension and allowing her arms to fall at her side and her back to slump. She had half a mind to lay back down and bask in the early morning sunlight streaming in from the door, but she was, apparently, due elsewhere. Through the wall behind her, she could just catch the sound of shifting earth and roots giving away from the garden, and an unintelligible song being sung quietly. Most likely the old Priestess. Kaede was a stubborn and proud woman, but she wasn't going to last heavy work like that for much longer.

And so, she resigned herself to leaving the comfort of her bedroll, and went about her morning routine. It had different slightly in the past several weeks, but the principles were still the same. Kagome washed her face in a basin of fresh water in the corner, and combed her wet fingers through her hair. That done, she got dressed. She would admit, it had taken her some time to get used to tying her hakama into place around her waist on her own, but she’d gotten in enough practice to manage it by now. She did, however, decide to forgo her first kimono. With only the outer layer on, she was able to slip her arms through the slits, and tie the sleeves behind her back. Was it traditional? Absolutely not. But the weather was already turning hot in the dead heat of summer, and Kagome couldn’t care in the slightest.

Before long, she was stepping out into the dim morning light, adjusting the straw hat on her head so she could see clearly. With the pristine, crisp air filling her lungs, it was still difficult to believe that this little village would one day become part of Tokyo. That world seemed so far away now. Wicker basket balanced on her hip, Kagome rounded the hut and made toward the garden “Good morning, Kaede!” she cheered.

“Good morning, Kagome,” the old woman returned with a smile from the shade of a tree on the other side of the fence. She sat with her back against the trunk, working at a piece of embroidery gathered in her lap.

Kagome faultered for a moment. She'd assumed it was Kaede doing the work in the garden, but the woman looked as if she hadn’t touched a shovel all morning. Kagome turned toward the garden to find Inuyasha bent over a row of sprouts, his hair pulled back by a thick cord and his robes hanging over the fence. With the full wicker basket balanced in one arm, the hanyou stood up straight and wiped his glistening forehead with the back of his arm. “Morning,” he nodded. He was unfairly golden in the early morning light.

Kagome caught herself staring and smiled at him. “Morning,” she returned.

Reaching into his wicker basket, Inuyasha grabbed a parsnip and tossed it to her. “Breakfast.”

Kagome dropped her wicker basket at her side, letting it clatter to the ground just so she could use both hands to catch the flying vegetable. She pointed a glare back at him, struggling not to laugh herself as he snickered at her. Biting the end out of spite, Kagome leaned up against the fence “You're _actually_ helping out in the garden?”

“Don’t say it like that,” Inuyasha said. “I help out plenty.” 

Kagome rolled her eyes with a nod. “I seem to recall,” she began, still chewing around half a bite of parsnip, “Just a week ago, when you were forced into doing the weeding, and _you_ just pulled up half the garden and dumped it on Kaede's floor.”

“Really? I don’t remember,” Inuyasha refused to look at her.

“That’s so weird,” Kagome continued on. “Because I also remember you running away, begging for forgiveness as Kaede chased you out with a broom.”

Inuyasha never had the chance to retort, though he certainly reared up like he was about to. The elderly Priestess herself chuckled at the memory, earning a heated glare from Inuyasha. “Worry not, Kagome,” Kaede smiled as she pushed the needle through the fabric. “I am here as supervision this time around.”

Inuyasha turned on the woman, setting his full basket down at her side. “You’re _both_ the worst,” he scoffed. “Anyway, the old hag was complaining that her back was sore again. I figured she’d pull one leaf and break it.”

“Inuyasha!” Kagome protested, hands perched dangerously on her hips. She didn't have a chance to reprimand him before Kaede had pulled a cucumber out of the basket and whacked him over the head without once looking up from her embroidery.

Inuyasha pouted and rubbed his head. “Y'know, that was a lot cuter when you were eight years old.”

“You cannot fool me, Inuyasha,” Kaede replied calmly. “That did not hurt. Your skull is much too thick for that.”

“Hey!”

Despite the obvious earth-shattering blow to his ego, Kagome couldn't help but laugh. At the very least, she made a small attempt to hide it, covering her mouth with her hands, but there was no mistaking her smile. Even Inuyasha wasn’t immune, chuckling as he toed to basket in a teasing thread to tip it over. Kaede swatted him away again, just barely nicking his heel with the edge of her embroidery. As he brought his gaze up, Kagome met his eyes, and for just that moment it seemed neither of them breathed. Kagome slowly dropped her hands from her mouth to reveal her brilliant smile. Inuyasha exhaled his own in return, the corners of his lips turned soft. They only broke apart when Inuyasha cleared his throat, looking away just as his face flushed.

Leaving the Hanyou to his sore ego, Kagome hopped over the fence, treading carefully across the soil to join Kaede under the shade of the tree. “How are you feeling today?” she asked as she knelt down beside her in the clean grass. “Does your back still hurt?”

Kaede shrugged, still concentrated on her embroidery. “Aye. These old bones are finally giving out on me.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Kagome frowned.

“There is, in fact,” Kaede laughed as she shifted back against the tree trunk. “You may help me by answering a small test.”

Kagome’s shoulders dropped. “I didn’t study for this.”

Inuyasha laughed along with Kaede now. Evidently, he remembered her frequent “battles” with the demon called Test. “I think you will do just fine,” Kaede smiled. “What, Kagome, are the herbs used in medicine for a sore back?”

“Oh!” a distant voice shouted from down the path. Rin came racing towards them, waving her hand over her head, while the other clutched a fistful of wildflowers. “I know this one!” she beamed, scrambling over the fence and nearly landing on her bottom in her excitement to get into the garden.

“I am sure that you do,” Kaede beckoned Rin to come sit at her side, taking her hand once she’d come closer. “But Kagome must still learn on her own. Kagome?”

Worrying her lip between her teeth for a moment, Kagome searched her memory for the answer. “Salvia Root,” she began slowly, “Reishi Mushroom, and... Eucommia Bark? In a tincture.”

Rin could not contain herself any longer. “That’s right!” she beamed as she dropped down to sit next to her caretaker. “You’re going to catch up in no time, Kagome. Ah, Kaede! I found these flowers growing out up around the shrine, can you tell me what they are?”

Kaede gingerly took the fistful of plants pushed towards her by Rin, turning the hasty arrangement over in her hands. “This,” she pointed to a stem of bloomless buds, with dense white fuzz underneath each leaf, “is Yomogi. It juices can be used to help a wound to stop bleeding.”

Rin cocked her head. “And the rest of them.”

“These,” Kaede said as she tapped the bundle against the tip of Rin’s nose, “are just flowers. But they are _very_ beautiful.”

Laughing as she scrunched up her nose, Rin leaned over to hug Kaede, mindful of her back. As she pulled away, a group of children around her age came running down the street from out of their own homes, waving for her to join them. Rin scrambled up to her feet. “I’m going to the river with my friends! We are going to catch fish!” And, just as quickly as she come, Rin was gone again in a whirlwind.

Kagome watched her leave, still amazed to see the little girl who’d barely spoken a word when they first met, running off to play with the village children like any other girl. “Well,” Kagome sighed as she rose to her feet. “I’ll have that tincture done in a few hours, Kaede.” She stooped down to pick up her basket. “Until then take it _easy_.”

Kaede waved her off concern, picking up both her needle and her song from where she left off.

_“Flickering lanterns, hanging from the Tree  
_ _Let them guide your way back to me  
_ _Flickering lanterns, call you back to me  
_ _On the branches of the Sacred Tree”_

Her aged and hoarse voice had nearly faded by the time Kagome made it to the middle of the rice fields, walking along the narrow paths between plots of swampy water. Basket balanced on her hip, she couldn't help but close her eyes as a breeze rolled through. The relief was more than welcome from what was looking up to be a hot morning. The sun was still just breaking over the horizon, the hazy pink dawn seeping over the hills. The sounds of crickets, cicadas, and morning birds drifted in from every direction, and even still, Kagome was astounded by just how _quiet_ this world was. It was a detail she’d forgotten over those two years, trapped on the other side of the Well - “trapped” in a time that should have felt more like home. That constant hum of aircraft and cars and trains rattling along their tracks had left a vacancy in her ears that Kagome still wasn’t quite used to. Not that she really wanted to. Indeed, this morning was _almost_ perfectly tranquil.

“Inuyasha,” she stopped in the middle of the path when the sound of rattling tree branches had come close enough, “when exactly were you planning to show yourself?” Sure enough, finally glancing over her shoulder she saw him perched in a tree at the edge of the bank, trying to look completely nonchalant.

“I was _not_ following you.”

“Was so.”

Inuyasha grunted and leaped down from the tree, landing deftly beside her. “I was just, uh, making sure Kaede would take it easy and stay inside today, “ he explained, hands stuffed in his haori sleeves as he attempted to look indifferent.

Kagome turned to him with an arched brow. “That doesn't explain why you're following me.”

Inuyasha shrugged as he stared passed her and toward the village, his ears twitching. “Thought you could use some help with... whatever you're doing.” 

Kagome smiled and shook her head to spare his ego her laughter. “Sure. Come on.”

Picking up their pace from where Kagome left off, the two of them made their way toward the forest. The melodic quiet returned again. Neither of them spoke, and neither of them caught when the other was glancing at them.

By the time they made it well into the forest the morning fog had spilled from the hills and completely drowned it in beams of light between the trees. Kagome yawned and once again stretched her unoccupied arm over her head, still not quite fully awake. Before long, they walked into a bright little clearing, where Kagome usually had the best luck finding what she needed. She set her basket at her feet and straightened up to find Inuyasha looking around at the surrounding trees.“Alright,” she began, “since you're here, you can get me the bark. It takes forever for me to peel it off. The mushrooms are easy enough to find, it's only the root that'll be a problem.”

“I think I can handle getting some stupid bark,” Inuyasha huffed.

Kagome shrugged and turned on her heel to start looking for the mushrooms. “I'm sure you won't,” she said, the picture of innocence as she looked back over her shoulder. “It's the sap you'll have problems with.”

Inuyasha scoffed, proving his bravado in the face of evil tree sap as he leapt into the canopy of tree branches overhead. Kagome looked up just in time to see a flash of red disappear into the leaves. The sound of him rustling around in search for the right tree faded in and out of her attention as she made her way around the clearing. Before long, she was crawling around on her hands and knees, looking under rocks and fallen logs, until she found a small patch just past the clearing and into the thicker part of the forest. Gently harvesting the mushrooms she needed and leaving behind just enough for them to continue growing, Kagome carried them back to the clearing and dropped them in her basket. She had just been about to call out to Inuyasha to see if he had any luck when Himself, the arrogant ass, dropped from the trees and landed on the opposite side of the basket. It didn't take long to see what he looked so angry about. “I warned you about the sap!” Kagome laughed.

Along with bark chippings, Inuyasha had returned with his hands coated in a thick, tacky liquid. “Shut up, “he grumbled, trying and failing to drop the bark into the basket with it sticking to his skin. He growled in frustration and tried to pick it off, but the moment he touched it with one hand, it stuck to the other, and so on until his face was practically red with frustration. Kagome's face was red too, but for an entirely different reason; she was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.

“Inuyasha!” she giggled, reaching out and taking his wrists to hold him still. He stopped instantly, his eyes snapping up to stare at her questioningly.

It was like in the garden again. The second their eyes met, they were locked, until one of them caught up to reality. Apparently it was her turn. Kagome let go of his wrists a little too quickly. “Let's, uh,” she coughed, “let’s just go down to the river and cool off for a bit. The root is going to take a while to find anyway, we might as well.”

Even with the release of his wrists, Inuyasha held still for a moment longer before coming to his senses. “Fine.”

The river was just a short walk down a decline from the clearing. Kagome didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed when Inuyasha complained that she was taking too long, and that he'd carry her if he didn't have this crap on his hands. She just nodded along, and smiled, and found herself lost in her thoughts about how some things never did change. It had not been long at all since she had returned. In many ways, it felt like she had never left. It was the same comforting familiarity as the bamboo mat, simple things like walking through the forest with Inuyasha at her side, and spending the morning looking for herbs.

Kagome had been back for several months now. It was difficult to keep track without a calendar, a luxury she hadn’t anticipated missing from her modern life. Thoughts of her home often came with a sharp pang of longing, of missing her family and parts of her old way of living. Never once had she regretted this decision, though. Her family understood and wouldn't resent her for it. She'd lived on just fine for the past three years, never wallowed in self-pity for days on end or cried herself to sleep, but it was no secret that she'd never been truly happy.

That was all it came down to. All she needed. Kagome was _happy_ here.

As they made it down the bank to the river, Kagome took one look at the crystal blue water and was already eagerly untying her hakama (and very much pretending to ignore Inuyasha’s face matching his firerat robe). Left in her knee-length inner kimono, Kagome made a break for the water. It wasn’t exactly a bathing suit, but it would work just fine, and she was more than comfortable around her hanyou companion. With nothing but a gleeful smile to Inuyasha, she ran to the riverbed and jumped in, splashing him on the shore.

“Hey!” he complained.

Breaching the water, Kagome flipped her hair behind her, combing her fingers through the raven locks while waving Inuyasha over with her other hand. “Come on!”

Inuyasha made no attempt to hide the way he rolled his eyes at her, but began slipping out of his haori anyway. Kagome had just contented herself to paddling around in the shallow of the water when suddenly she was met with a tidal wave caused by a hanyou in his fundoshi. Sputtering the water out of her nose, she wiped her hand over her face and tried not to laugh as she glared at him. “Inuyasha!” she protested.

Inuyasha burst up for air and proceeded to shake out his hair, just because he _knew_ how much it bothered her. Kagome couldn't stop herself from laughing, holding her hands up in a feeble attempt to protect herself. Once he decided she'd had enough, laughing too hard to continue anyway, Kagome pushed her hands through the water to splash him back.

Inuyasha tried in vain to shield himself with his arm, only to be rewarded with a face full of water. “Alright, that's it!”

“Inuyasha, don't you dare!” Kagome shrieked.

It was too late. The hanyou swept her off her feet and held her over his head with ease, even while she kicked and squirmed to fight her way out of his grasp. He took only two steps out into deeper water before tossing her back into the river. Her squeal was swallowed by the water. When she came back up, she leaped at Inuyasha, throwing herself at him with all her weight and tackling him into the water.

The moment the bubbles cleared and the world stopped spinning, it was just the two of them; eyes opened and uninterrupted, staring at each other with floating hair and beams of light dancing on the stony riverbed, Kagome with her arms around Inuyasha's neck, and Inuyasha with his hands hovering over her waist. Another look. Another moment. However, shortlived. Kagome was the first to come up for air, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart. Inuyasha came up after moments after.

Kagome sighed, floating onto her back and kicking her feet gently through the current. “It’s so nice out.”

“It's alright,” Inuyasha shrugged.

“Grouch,” Kagome fired back, looking back over her shoulder at him. She fully expected a witty retort, a scowl, or even a face full of water, but it was immediately obvious that his attention was elsewhere. He looked to the other side of the river, brows furrowed and ears twitching.

Kagome mirrored his frown as she floated by. “Inuyasha?”

“It's nothing. Just thought I heard someone singing,” he shrugged it off, shaking his hands through his soaked hair.

Kagome chewed at the corner of her lip, not quite buying that explanation. He'd be able to tell if what he heard was just a villager in the forest. He wouldn't have even paused. But, if it was danger, he'd know in an instant too, she supposed. It was nothing to worry about. Pushing her arms through the water, Kagome floated on her back up the stream and closer to Inuyasha.

She felt it as she passed him. A roar, a crack of thunder, a girl’s voice, all rattling inside her head while in reality she heard nothing. An unknown force slammed into her like a tidal wave, radiating out from a distant epicentre. All at once overwhelmed, Kagome’s breathe was shocked from her lungs, and her body dragged under the surface. The power of it seem to force her for a moment out of her own body, until she was suddenly stilled by steadying hands pulling her up from the water.

Inuyasha held Kagome up steadily, frantically brushing the hair out of her face so he could look her in the eyes. “What the hell was that about?!” he exclaimed, his words gruff but concern clear in his face.

“Do you feel that?” Kagome gasped, coughing against the water in her throat.

“I don't feel anything.”

Kagome's eyes snapped to the forest, drawn to the source of the rippling energy - the same direction Inuyasha had been staring in just moments before. No such thing as coincidences. “We should check it out.”

Inuyasha cocked his brow impatiently. “You think?” Still, despite his annoyed tone, he walked behind her to the shore, ready to catch her should she falter again. The two of them quickly slipped back into their clothes, knowing that the morning heat and breeze would dry them off with time. As soon as they were both dressed, Inuyasha wrapped his arm around Kagome's waist and leaped across the river to the bed on the other side. Taking his hand the moment Inuaysha set her on the ground, Kagome tugged him in the direction she was being drawn toward.

This side of the river seemed to be denser, the foliage thicker and the trees closer together. Even the early morning mist hadn't faded in the cool shade.The two of them stumbled through the forest, both on foot despite the hanyou's ability to carry them faster than a human could even hope to run. The force pulling Kagome was too piercing and delicate to follow at that speed. It wasn't long before she came to a slow stop. A young woman’s voice echoed from every direction, resonating more in Kagome’s mind than in her ears. “Do you hear that?” she whispered.  
  
“Yes and no.” Inuyasha answered, carefully as he too looked beyond the trees for the source. “It's like-”

“You hear it in your head,” Kagome finished for him in understanding.

Inuyasha nodded, looking toward a break of light in the dark forest ahead of them. “Someone singing.”

Kagome took his hand again, though she let him lead this time. His back was tight and ears alert, taking a protective stance as he walked ahead of her. Whatever this was, it had him on guard. That was more than enough to convince her to proceed with caution. Kagome blinked through the blinding light as they entered the break in the trees, feeling Inuyasha's hand tense in hers. When her sun-spotted vision cleared, and she could finally see again, her breath was drawn from her lungs, chest tight. She didn't know how she didn't recognize the path and surrounding forest. They had entered from an unfamiliar direction. Still, it almost hurt to know she didn't recognize the area.

The Sacred Tree was a monolith, towering over them just as she remembered. She hadn't been here since the day she had returned, always somewhat apprehensive about going back, like something would be too different and too startling. But, there it was, just as would stand for the next five hundred years. Kagome had spent countless nights staring out her bedroom window at that tree, trying to picture the boy she’d found sleeping in its embrace. There had been nights she could see him like a phantom. Never as real, however, as the spirit that now sat in its shade.

A young woman in a Priestess's robes sat embroidering on a wide and gnarled root, either oblivious or undisturbed by their presence.

_“Flickering lanterns, hanging from the Tree  
_ _Let them guide your way back to me_  
_Flickering lanterns, call you back to me  
_ _On the branches of the Sacred Tree”_

Her translucent lips didn't move, but the voice swirled around her and out to them. Kagome and Inuyasha watched the young woman, frozen as she lifted her head to look at them. The uncanny resemblance to Kagome and even more so her successor Kikyo made Inuyasha take a step back, his hand tightening in hers. The young woman smiled at them for a long moment, before standing gracefully and disappearing into the trunk of the tree. The song continued after she vanished, a hum on the wind that soon blew away.

Kagome was the first to break the heavy silence that followed. “Inuyasha, look,” she breathed, dashing forward to where the woman had been sitting, “Salvia root.” Dropping her basket to her side, Kagome pulled a few of the roots from the ground, dusted the dirt off, and dropped them inside. “She led us right to them. Who do you think she was?” she asked.

“Most likely just some Forest Spirit,” Inuyasha replied. “They're all over the place out here, especially now that Naraku isn't an issue. Now come on. We've got what we need, and Kaede said she'd make lunch.”

“Alright, alright, don’t get your hakama in a twist,” Kagome teased, balancing her basket on her hip as she stood again. “We should make it back in twenty minutes at this rate. If we hurry, maybe we can come back to the river la- hey!” she yelped in surprise, as Inuyasha picked her up and tossed her onto his back. Kagome nearly spilt her basket, and might have if Inuyasha hadn’t caught it and passed it back to her with a grin. She barely had the time to hold it to her chest with one arm, and hold onto Inuyasha with the other, before he was taking off through the forest. She could just barely hear him laughing over the wind in her ears, but the sound was like music.

Inuyasha carried Kagome down the well-worn path from the Sacred Tree and towards the village. The world flashed by in smears of greenery and woods, wind whipped through her hair. The thrill of this never faded. Before long, they were breaching the forest, and bounding out across the rice fields in the brilliant midday sun. It came to an all-too-soon end as Inuyasha slowed down before Kaede’s hut. Kagome slipped down off of Inuyasha’s back, checking the contents of her basket to be certain she hadn’t lost anything. Inuyasha, in the meantime, snickered a picked a few stray leaves out of her wind-swept hair. Kagome stuck her tongue out at him, and nudged him aside with her hip. Down on the far end of the village, Rin could be heard still playing in the stream with her friends.

When Kagome felt Inuyasha’s hand brush over the back of her shoulder, trying and failing to hold her back, she didn’t think anything of it. Just a playful touch, still teasing so he could get inside first. That was all. Kagome thought nothing of Inuyasha’s name on his tongue as she pushed through the doormat and walked inside the hut. “Kaede!” Kagome chirped as she stepped inside, eyes on her feet as she slipped out of her sandals. “We got the herbs! I'll have the medicine done by dinner, I just can't remember if you have to boil and crush the Reishi-... Kaede?”

The doormat fell back into place as Inuyasha hurried inside after her, swaying gently in the breeze. All else in the hut was far too still. She’d realised it too late. Kaede lay on the floor of the hut, unmoving. Kagome's basket bounced harmlessly on the floor as it slipped from her hands, herbs falling into the dying embers of the fire and smothering whatever life was still left in the room.

“No,” Kagome choked, breaking the silent calm before the storm as she crashed to her knees by Kaede's too still body. “No, no, no, please...” she pleaded as she turned the woman onto her back. Her skin was pale and grey, eyes closed and far too peaceful. “No!” Kagome sobbed, drawing her hand back from Kaede’s cold cheek. “No, please! Kaede!”

Kagome did not know when exactly it was that she broke down, but she knew that she could not breathe. Hunched over Kaede, her body shook with the force of her hitched cries, her broken voice echoing out into the serene quiet of the village as she sobbed over and over that she was sorry. _She was so sorry, she should have come back sooner, she should have made the medicine sooner, she should have brought her to her world, she should have saved her._

“Hey, hey!” Inuyasha's voice cracked in her ear, his arms wrapping around her from behind and pulling her off of Kaede's body. Guiding her head into his chest, Inuyasha held her tight, his hand smoothing up and down her back. “Kagome, breathe. Calm down, it’s okay, it’s-”

“I could have _saved_ her!” Kagome wailed as she turning into his embrace and pounding her fists against his chest. “You- you never should have left her! You never should have left her alone!”

Inuyasha made no retort. He made no reply, only held Kagome tight and let her vent her despair. Kagome's screaming gave out into anguished cries, the overwhelming guilt and loss sobbed against Inuyasha's chest as he held her like he hadn't since her first night back. The night they had sat in this very hut for hours, with the fire crackling and tentative questions murmured back and forth. His compassion and tenderness as he gently rocked her and ran his hands through her hair would surprise her every time she looked back at this memory for years to come - but for now, there was only this. Her new, inescapable present.


	2. Chapter 2

There wasn’t much left to say. Not anything that really mattered. The details were afterthoughts.

Rin had come running to the hut when she had heard Kagome’s cries. Inuyasha and Kagome just barely caught her outside the door, the young Priestess still tearful as she knelt down to tell the girl what had happened. Rin had taken it shockingly well - stepping inside with a tear slipping down her cheek, as she kissed Kaede’s cold forehead. Death, no matter how sudden, was not unfamiliar to her. Inuyasha had taken that moment, with Rin and Kagome inside the hut, to step out and inform a neighbouring villager that Kaede was dead. And so it fell into place - their was a poor village, but they had the resources to prepare a body for cremation. It would be taken care of. Slowly, the word began to travel through the village, and mournful people came through to pay their respects.

It wasn’t any place they wanted to stay long, though. So, with Inuyasha carrying Rin on his back and Kagome walking close to his side, they made the trek to the outskirts of the village, up the crest of the hill to Miroku and Sango’s home. The news was given in broken whispers, the twins playing in the corner, and the newborn Mamoru sleeping, all entirely unaware of the gravity of the adults’ conversation. The rest of that night was spent in solemn quiet, the loss of the wise and caring old woman weighing heavily on them all. Kagome and Rin would stay with them as long as they needed, and Inuyasha would leave the next day to bring the news to Shippo at the Kitstune Monastery. The funeral, per tradition, would be handled by the villagers, and Miroku volunteered to send word out that Kagome would need a new teacher to complete her training as a Priestess. All matters settled, all issues handled. Kagome had tried to take some amount of comfort in it all that night, but there was little to be found.

Inuyasha returned the day Kaede was to be cremated with Shippo in tow, allowing the young demon a final goodbye to Kaede. Shippo would later tell Kagome how surprisingly careful Inuyasha had been about telling him of Kaede's death, and understanding of his grief. He didn't push him away when Shippo curled up against him and cried. Inuyasha had, through this ordeal, been largely quiet, doing anything he could to make this process as painless as possible. Even through her grief, Kagome found herself astounded by him, the way he worked without complaint alongside the villagers to send off their Priestess. He cut the wood for Kaede’s pyre. He carried her body, wrapped in linen, and placed it in. And, with a gentle hand, he steadied Kagome as she lowered the torch to the kindling, holding her close as they stepped back and watched the flames rise.

And that was all that was left, really. Just the empty details. The funeral came and went, and by the time the embers of the pyre cooled, Kaede’s grave had been prepared at the shrine, next to her sister. Kaede’s ashes were placed in an urn, the charcoal of the pyre was swept away, and suddenly there was nothing left. Nothing left to say.

Within days of the funeral, Shippo returned to the Monastery. Rin left to stay with Sesshomaru for a while, until things settled down again. In all, it was... hatefully tranquil. Kagome was no stranger to loss. She’d only been a child when her father had died. She hardly remembered the funeral, or the day he died. What she _did_ remember was the aftermath, that sense of a gaping hole opening up right in the middle of her life and being unable no matter how she tried to fill it in. She remembered the days of ensuing silence, the suffocating quiet of her house. One of her most vivid memories, in fact, was sitting on her bed and staring out her window, wondering when things would go back to normal. In her innocence, she had found it perfectly reasonable to expect this all to blow over, and for her life to return to exactly as it had been.

She felt the same way now, in a sense - only with age, she knew now that these losses did not close. The hurt would not end, but it would fade with time, and... she would miss Kaede. The only thing she _could_ do now was miss her.

That night, Miroku and Sango decided to take the opportunity to explain Kaede’s death to the twins. Umeko and Sayuri had been patient, if not curious and unable to understand why everyone in the village were so sad, too young to grasp what had happened. After dinner, Kagome had left them to handle it, not wanting to intrude on what was sure to be a difficult conversation. Inuyasha had vanished not long before they’d started eating, likely off in the forest. She’d admit that it did sting, him disappearing without a word like that, but she didn’t hold any grudge. In any case, she had needed some time alone with her thoughts.

Kagome sat on a stone on the top of the hill, and looked over the village. It would be hers to watch over now. The distant fires shining through the modest collection of homes were slowly dimming as night came, and the inhabitants neglected them in favour of sleep. From up there, she could just barely see the Shrine, the moonlight glinting off the new and polished gravestone. A knot in her chest tightened.

With her luck, it wasn't long before the moonlight was smothered out. Kagome looked up just in time to hear the thunder, and thick clouds drifting across the sky. She felt the first drop on her nose before it began to pour. Kagome picked up the hem of her hakama and ran through the grass, ducking her head against the pinprick raindrops pelting her skin until she stumbled under the shelter of Miroku and Sango’s porch. Her hair and clothing were damp, clinging to her skin. She ran her fingers through her hair in a sorry attempt to dry off, cursing mildly under her breath. Fighting back a shiver, Kagome had been about to head inside and flock to the fire, when the quiet shift of movement around the corner stopped her short. Curiosity getting the better of her, Kagome slipped off her sandals and socks, and padded barefoot toward the source.

Rounding the corner, she found Inuyasha sitting crosslegged against the wall. He was lit only by a small oil lamp, and sat surrounded by a mess of paper, bamboo stalks, string, and what Kagome could swear was a bowl of sap. His eyes were narrowed in concentration, but his features were completely relaxed, absorbed in his task.

“Inuyasha?” Kagome whispered. “What are you doing out here?”

There was no sneaking up on him. Kagome had seen his ear twitch in her direction as she’d approached. Inuyasha paused in the middle of running a knife over the open edge of a bamboo stalk, eyeing her up and down. “I could ask you the same question.”

Kagome managed a dim smile. “I asked you first.”

Inuyasha chuckled, the sound bare and quiet, but there all the same. Pushing his knife to the end of the stalk until a thin ribbon had curled up from the blade, Inuyasha cut it free and set it aside. That out of the way, he nodded toward the empty space beside him. Closing in the few steps between them, Kagome lowered herself to the ground, folding her legs at her side. “What _are_ you doing?” she repeated, her voice hushed by the rain.

“I'm making something,” Inuyasha nudged her lightly with his shoulder.

She nudged back, appreciating the old teasing now more than she ever thought she would. “I can _see_ that. I mean, what are you making?”

Inuyasha reached over Kagome’s lap to grab the spool of string. He bit off a short length between his teeth, using it to tie the last piece of bamboo into a frame. “It’s a Sky Lantern,” he replied, gingerly turning the frame over in his hands to be sure he hadn’t missed anything.

“A Sky Lantern?” Kagome repeated. “Where did you learn how to make Sky Lanterns?”

Inuyasha's hands paused in their work, slowly lowering the frame down to his lap. “My mother taught me,” he murmured. Kagome instantly sat up just a touch straighter. Any passing mention of his past was rare for Inuyasha. Sensing her interest, Inuyasha sighed in resignation. “She was a Noblewoman,” he began, “but the village I grew up in wasn't exactly tolerant of... well, _me_. She still held her status, bu she was cut off from her family’s fortune. So, she learned to make lanterns to earn money. Eventually, she taught me how to do it too.” Vivid golden eyes trailed up to the rainy world beyond their dry haven on the porch. “You should have seen the lanterns she'd make, Kagome. They were beautiful, people came from villages over just to buy them.” Looking down at the frame in his lap as a strip popped out of place, Inuyasha frowned and tied it down again. “I was never as good as her, but I guess I get the job done.”

Kagome listened, enthralled with each word. “I didn't know that, Inuyasha,” she smiled, shifting closer against his side. “Tell me more.”

“About what?”

“About your mother.”

His lips pressed into a thin line. “Well... she was all I had. Growing up amoung humans was hard. Mother had been rejected by my father’s people, the Inu Yokai, so we really had nowhere else to go. I never felt like I belonged anywhere, except with her. I mean, she was just like any mother, like yours. She was kind, and compassionate, and... she was beautiful. Nobles and Lords would come often and ask her for her hand, but she always told me she was still in love with my old man. Once they saw me, they always went packing anyway.” He confessed. “She was everything to me... but she was human, and I'm not. She got old.”

There was a bitter truth in that statement that Kagome didn’t want to linger on. A moment of silence passed, filled only by the soft patter of the rain. Kagome reached out, running her fingers along the framework of the Lantern. “Why haven't I ever seen you make a one?”

Inuyasha's eyes remained fixed on a distant point in the rainy night. For a moment Kagome was afraid he wouldn’t answer. “Haven't made one since she died,” he confessed.

Kagome understood, and all the same her heart broke just a bit for him. Through this tragedy, Inuyasha had been the one to steady her, to carry her through - but he’d lost someone he cared about too. Kagome’s fingers brushed over the delicate paper Inuyasha had laid out before him. When she looked up, she caught his eyes on her and smiled. “Will you show me how?”

Inuyasha blinked, his mind drawing a blank for a moment. “Uh... yeah, of course. Here, take that knife and cut the paper like this,” he instructed, tracing a long curve on the surface, “careful though, it’s sharper than it looks.”

The small hours of the morning were passed in companionable silence and soft murmurs as Inuyasha taught Kagome the craft. The rain continued to pour, thunder rumbling over the distant mountains but never quite reaching them. Every so often, Kagome wouldn't be able to help herself, and glanced toward Inuyasha as he work with deft fingers and memorized movements. It was mesmerizing in ways she couldn’t fully comprehend at first, but gradually began to understand as the night drew on. Kagome had watched Inuyasha fell enemies a hundred times his size, and knew the power he had to destroy anything that stood in his way. Watching him craft something so delicate with those same hands was nothing short of breathtaking.

Kagome wasn’t entirely sure when she fell asleep. She’d slumped against Inuyasha’s side, her head on his shoulder, and woke to him nudging her with his elbow.

“Hey,” he said as he coaxed her awake. “C’mon.”

Kagome moaned, peeling herself off of Inuyasha with a yawn. It had stopped raining. The sky in the East was beginning to lighten, as the clouds rolled away and the first hints of morning rose. Looking down at the mess of scraps before them, Kagome was a little shocked to find two completed Sky Lanterns - Inuyasha had finished hers after she’d fallen asleep. Taking the hanyou’s hand, Kagome allowed Inuyasha to pull her up to her feet, before carefully picking up the lanterns. “You carry the lamp,” he instructed.

Kagome nodded, rubbing her fist in her eye as she stooped down to pick up the lamp. “Where are we going?” she asked with another yawn. Taking her hand again, Inuyasha guided her off the porch and onto the muddied path. The cool, rain-soaked earth against her bare feet was enough to force her awake with a shiver.

Inuyasha didn't answer her question, but as he led her further away, he did not have to. They walked through the forest, guided through the dark only by the feeble flame of the oil lamp. Kagome was awake enough by that point to understand what was going on. Breaching the edge of the trees, they came to a sudden drop-off, a cliff dropping down into the denser forest. From this vantage point, they could see the whole of the valley, the village, and the mountains beyond, high above it all. There, at the edge, they stopped and lit their lanterns. Inuyasha held onto the both of them until Kagome could put the lamp down and take her lantern.

For a long moment, neither of them did or said anything. They looked out over the misty hills, the wild forest, the village, and the rosy dawn with a quiet tranquillity until a gentle breeze rolled up the hill and they both released. The glowing lanterns floated hesitantly above the ground before catching the wind and travelling into the sky, twisting and circling each other without ever separating. Kagome and Inuyasha watched them until their faint glows merged in the distance, and they couldn't tell one from the other.

As they watched the lanterns float together into the sky, Kagome stepped into Inuyasha's side and rested her head against his chest, while he wound a hesitant arm around her waist.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was another fifty days before anything really eventful happened in the village. As per Shinto tradition, fifty days after the passing of a loved one, the immediate family could take part in no celebrations. Kaede had no immediate family left, and so the entire village filled in the gap, offering prayers and tending to her grave. Every fresh flower placed on the polished gravestone was another reminder of just how loved the old woman was. Kagome wasn't quite ready to take over the role as High Priestess of the village and its shrine, but she did her best in the meantime. She'd been a Shrine Keeper all her life, after all. Most of the duties were not anything new, but when it came to skills like creating medicines and offering spiritual aid, she quickly discovered one important thing - she was in way over her head. So, when word came from a village begging for help to exterminate a terrorizing demon, she couldn't be more eager to go.

Time healed. Life began to settle down again. Those weeks passed by, late spring fading into summer, and with time it became easier to breathe again. Kagome caught herself, at times, feeling so happy she nearly forgot about Kaede’s passing. The guilt and grief would resurface for just a moment, stealing her smile and clamping tightly around her throat - but with each passing day, the pain lingered less and less. There was no stopping time, not even to mourn. The only thing to do was move forward. In any case, her friends never let her stay down for long, and in turn she did the same for them.

Walking beside them along the road that early morning was the first time in ages that Kagome had felt alive in weeks. She’d _missed_ this. In the first months she had been back, Kagome had gone on a few small exterminations trips, once with Sango and once with Miroku and Inuyasha, but they hadn’t been able to travel together like this yet. However, Mamoru was finally old enough to be left with a trusted family in the village, along with the twins, and the request for their assistance had warranted all four of them going. It was almost a little bittersweet, how much it felt like the old days of their search for the Shikon shards. So much had changed since then (and with that thought, of course, came the needle-point prick of loss, a pain that faded as quickly as it came).

Kagome stretched her arms over her head, tilting her head back into the sunlight with a loud sigh. “This feels so perfect,” she beamed. “There’s nothing like getting out on the road again!”

“Yeah, as you’ve said a hundred times already,” Inuyasha rolled his eyes impatiently from beside her.

Kagome shrugged unapologetically, releasing her arms to flop back to her side. The movement nearly sent her quiver of arrows slipping off her shoulder. Kagome stumbled over her own feet, struggling to catch it before it could spill all over the path. Inuyasha snickered beside her. Glaring up at him, Kagome pulled the quiver back into place and jabbed him with her elbow. “Well, it's true!” she retorted. “We haven’t been able to do this together in years. Forgive me if I’m excited!”

“You say that now,” Inuyasha scoffed. “You'll be complaining about your feet hurting in twenty minutes.” He sounded sure of himself until Kagome’s glare narrowed, and even Inuyasha found himself shrinking back from her rage. Kagome, on the other hand, was quite proud of herself for not cracking at the look on his face. Her work there done, she held her head high and stalked ahead of him, clinking arms with Sango a bit further up the path.

“So,” Kagome began, loud enough to be sure Inuyasha was _well_ aware that she was ignoring him, “what did the message from the village say?”

Sango slipped her free hand into a pouch hanging over her apron, and pulled out a small scroll. “The village is just northeast of Mount Fuji,” she began unrolling it between herself and Kagome. “They claim to be terrorized by a hoard of demons in the forest at their borders. They didn’t give many details, but they did request that we come with our “full forces”, whatever they meant by that.”

Kagome read over the message herself. “Not even a hint at what the demons might be?” she questioned.

“Nothing,” Sango shrugged as she tucked the scroll away again. “Maybe they haven’t gotten close enough to see.”

“Then how could it be that the demons are terrorizing them?” Inuyasha spoke up from behind them. “Doesn’t make any sense.”

Miroku clapped him on the shoulder, much to Inuyasha’s annoyance. “While I do agree,” he conceded, “we have a duty to at the very least answer their call. Besides, they offered good pay. The worst that could happen is that we have less work to do.”

“Oh, so it’s only the pay we care about, huh?” Inuyasha shrugged Miroku’s hand off his shoulder, glowering when the Monk only smirked and threw his arm around his neck.

“Mouths to feed, Inuyasha,” Miroku laughed. “Mouths to feed!” Inuyasha growled, ducking out of the hold and shoving Miroku off of him. The Monk gave in at that point, raising his hands in surrender, staff jingling above his head. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” he said, before lowering his voice and walking ahead nonchalantly. “Not yet, anyway.”

Inuyasha fell back out of pace with them at the comment, and when Kagome looked back over her shoulder at the hanyou, he was staring at her with a perplexed frown. Slipping her arm out of Sango’s, she stopped and turned to face him, taking the break to tap her wooden sandals on the ground and tug at the heel of her sock.

She didn’t have the chance to ask him what was on his mind before he was shaking his head. “I _told_ you your feet were gonna get sore,” he folded his arms into his sleeves as he started walking again.

Kagome, even as she looked up at him in mock outrages, walked along beside him. “I haven’t said anything!”

“Yeah, but you’re already fussing at your sandals,” Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “I’m going to end up carrying you anyway... might as well get it over with.”

“I can walk on my own just fine,” Kagome pouted.

“Sure, until you start whining.”

Oh, he was having far too much fun teasing her. Kagome could _see_ it in that smug little grin as she turned her glare toward the road. “You don't give me enough credit.”

“Not much to credit,” Inuyasha’s grin widened.

Now, it was Kagome’s turn to stop. She crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to take another step. Inuyasha only got a few paces ahead until he realised she wasn’t following, turning back and raising a dark brow in question. Kagome smirked. “Ss-”

Inuyasha’s expression dropped. “You wouldn't dare.”

She smirked. “Ssssss-”

“Ka _go_ me!” he whined.

“Ssssssssiiiiii-”

“Alright, I'm sorry!”

“-iiike! Psyche!”

Inuyasha flinched. He froze like that for a long moment before Kagome’s laughter caught up to him. His ears twitched as he stood straight, a shadow falling over his face, apparently _not_ amused with Kagome's laughter at his expense. He hadn't been 'Sat' once in over three years, and while he was planning on keeping that streak up, he wasn't about to let her toy with his ego like that. With a playful growl, he leapt into the air, landing right in front of the Priestess, arms up, claws bared, and prepared to attack at any moment. Truly a vicious sight. Kagome squealed and dodged his lunge for her, scrambling around him and running ahead on the dirt path. Inuyasha immediately took to the chase

As they ran past them, Miroku and Sango watched behind, following at a leisurely pace while the half-demon and priestess played a game of cat and mouse, running around in aimless circles ahead of them. Sango smiled softly at the endearing scene. “What's holding them back?” she wondered aloud. “Even after all this time, they still haven't admitted their feelings. I mean, Kagome's already decided to spend her life here with him. You would think they'd make it official.”

Miroku shrugged. “Maybe they're just not ready. Young love is like that.”

Sango arched her brow, glancing between the hanyou and her husband. “Young love, huh? Inuyasha's a hundred and fifty years old.”

“That certainly doesn't mean he acts like it.” Miroku laughed. It was true, though. Despite his true age, Inuyasha was still physically and mentally a young man. “They'll come around eventually,” Miroku reassured her. “I’m sure they both know their true feelings for one another, but they seem comfortable enough to take their time.” With a sly smile, he redirected his attention back down to his wife. “And on another note, have I mentioned how ravishing you look today, my love?”

Sango rolled her eyes. “Quiet you.”

Up ahead of them on the path, Kagome and Inuyasha were still locked in their playful battle. Inuyasha could have easily overpowered the her whenever he pleased, no contest, but that wasn't the point. The point was the laughter. Kagome hadn't laughed this genuinely in over a month, and neither had Inuyasha. If just for a while she could feel like she did years ago, when this world was still new and exciting to her, with her best friend, she would take it in an instant. Kagome dashed out of Inuyasha’s reach just before he could grab her, her heart racing so fast and her head so full of light, the forest path around her seemed to fade away.

A bush in the forest rustled.

Inuyasha dove for Kagome, curling his body around her as they rolled to the ground, the instinct immediate. Kagome didn't have time to scream. An arrow sliced through the air where she had been standing moments before, embedding itself in a tree on the other side of the path. Inuyasha was on his feet and in a fighting stance before anyone could blink, fangs bared and claws tensed.

Wild battle cries poured out from the shade of the forest, a group of bandits spilling onto the path and quickly circling around the unsuspecting travellers. Just as fast, Miroku and Sango drew their weapons, standing poised and ready for a fight. Kagome rose unsteadily to her feet and drew her bow, still trying to will the world to stop spinning.

“Do you have a death wish?” Inuyasha growled as he scanned their opponents.

“Leave your weapons and valuables on the ground.” One of the Bandits, the leader from what Kagome could gather, stepped forward. She was still struggling to keep up with the suddenness of the ambush. In all her excitement about this trip, she’d overlooked the danger that often came with travelling in these times. Her friends had been on guard in an instant, leaving her to catch up - but she wouldn’t be a burden on them. Kagome slipped her hand back, grabbing an arrow from her quiver and knocking it to her bowstring. From the corner of her eyes, she caught Inuyasha’s gaze, and gave him a firm nod. The Bandit Leader did not take kindly to her. “I said drop your weapons!” he snarled, withdrawing his sword from his sheath and pointing the blade at her.

Kagome responded before Inuyasha even had the chance to tear the man's throat out. “Not a chance.”

The Leader's eyes narrowed. “Insolent whore!” he snarled. With his blade still drawn, the man reached into his breastplate and tugged out a small crystal on a chain. “Bring her to me!”

The crystal pulsed in a pale blue shimmer. Kagome braced herself for an unknown danger - but nothing happened. The crystal swung on the end of the chain, glinting in the sunlight, but nothing came of it. Nothing happened, at the very least not anything she could see. Kagome frowned, feeling the tension on her bow strain her arms but unwilling to let go just yet. That was when the Leader began to grin. The disgusted shiver hadn’t even made it down her spine before she finally noticed Inuyasha in front of her - the way his shoulders slumped and he recoiled back from the bandit, his legs beginning to shake beneath him. Her attention drawn to him, Kagome loosened the tension on her bow, the arrow slipping from her fingers and clattering to the ground as she placed her hand on Inuyasha’s back. Inuyasha growled, throwing his arm out at his side to keep her back, but Kagome already saw the sweat beading on his forehead.

“What are you doing to him?” Kagome shouted at the Bandit Leader, as his crew began to advance toward him. “Stop it!” she pleaded.

Inuyasha hooked his arm around her waist, still trying to pull her behind him. “Kagome, get ba-”

The crash of pottery against skull bone registered before any of them realized what they had just seen; a flower pot, flying through the air and shattering against the Leader's head. He collapsed instantly, unconscious and covered in soil and shards of clay. For a single beat, no one moved. Neither the bandits nor the travelers did anything over than stare down at the man in bewilderment. The silence was only disturbed by a voice coming toward them from down the path.

“Get away from them! Get away!” a boisterous middle-aged man in a white kimono and blue hakama shouted as he ran toward them with another flower pot held over his head. The Bandits exchanged looks amoungst themselves and their fallen Leader, while the newcomer ran at them head on, waving the flower pot around like he expected to chase them off with the pottery alone; and, apparently, he did. Another pot was thrown at them, shattering at their feet. “Who do you think you are?” the man shouted. “Get back! Get back! You have no right to Banditry here!”

Collectively, they seemed to realise that this fight was not nearly worth it. Leaving their leader knocked out in the dirt, the bandit crew scrambled back toward the foreset.

Watching in utter disbelief as the Flower Pot man chased the bandits away with nothing but crazed shouting, Inuyasha slowly relaxed and stood up straight. Miroku, Sango, and Kagome soon followed suit.

“So, uh...” Kagome began as they watched the man race past them, “this is new.”

“Stranger things have happened,” Miroku added. “But yes, definitely... new.”

Now that they didn't seem to be in any immediate danger, Inuyasha groaned and held his head in his hand. Kagome watched him carefully, grazing her teeth over her bottom lip. Whatever that stone had done to him was clearly wearing off, but Inuyasha still appeared disoriented. She smoothed her hand over his back and between his shoulder blades. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

Inuyasha was quick to scoff, but he did not outright reject her touch. “I'm fine. And I do not.”

“If you say so...”

With the Bandits properly chased off, the Flower Pot man sauntered his way over to the dumbfounded group. “Good afternoon, travellers!” he cheered, holding one spare pot underneath his arm while his hands perched on his hips.

Sango was the first to snap out of her confusion, offering a somewhat cautious smile at the man. “Thank you for your help.”

Inuyasha stuffed his arms into his haori sleeves. “We didn't need it,” he grumbled.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome snapped.

“What? We didn't!”

“Still,” Miroku interjected before the two could break out into an argument, “we are very grateful. If there is anything we can do to repay you, please tell us.”

The Flower Pot man waved them off. “I assure you, no thanks are needed!”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, shooting a look at Kagome to silently convey his frustration in not offering thanks when the man didn't even want any. Kagome rolled her eyes with an equally frustrated huff, though for an entirely different reason. Refocusing her attention on their unlikely hero, Kagome plastered on a smile. “So, I see you're a Priest?” she said, gesturing to the man’s attire.

“That I am!” he proclaimed. “I am Takuya, Former Keeper of the Sengen Shrine.”

Kagome tilted her head. “Former?”

“Yes,” Takuya smiled. “I am on my way now to take over the training of a young Priestess in a village not far from here.”

Inuyasha groaned. “Just our luck. Hey!” He protested, glaring down at Kagome for stomping her heel on his foot. 

Kagome smeared on an innocent smile. “I think I may be the Priestess you're looking for,” she said, though that smile faltered for a moment. No one could ever replace Kaede, but it was relieving to know that she would have help in taking over her duties. “My companions and I have been called to help with a demon problem in another village, but once you get there, please make yourself home. Our village isn't much, but the people are very welcoming.”

Takuya beamed at Kagome, taking her hand in both of his. He wasn't an overly tall man, or overly thin for that matter, but his personality was proving to be larger than life. “Fate!” he exclaimed.

“Bad luck,” Inuyasha corrected.

“Inu _yasha_!”

“Well then!” Takuya grinned, patting Kagome’s hand once before letting her go. He turned and jogged up the path where he had dropped a cart full of various pots filled with herbs and other medicinal plants. He took a firm hold of both handles on either side of him, his weathered hands strong and sturdy. “I anxiously await your return! We will begin lessons as soon as you are ready. Until then!”

Watching as the strange Priest disappeared around the bend in the path, the four companions exchanged bewildered glances before shrugging it off and continuing on their way. Just when they thought they'd seen everything.

As they continued on their journey, Inuyasha, for once, found himself lingering in the back. He stared ahead with a distant and unfocused gaze, and more than once Kagome glanced back at him to find the same vacant expression on his face, with just the slightest pull in his brow. Whatever had affected him was clearly still weighing heavily on his mind. Kagome decided that she wouldn’t be having that. “Hey, slowpoke!” she cupped his hands around her mouth and called as she walked backwards. When she got Inuyasha’s attention, she flashed him a challenging grin. “You got lead in your feet, or what?”

Worries set aside for the moment, Inuyasha mirrored her smile, and once again happily chased after her.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It took another day and night of travel to arrive at the village. They had set up camp and spent the night in the forest once it had gotten dark the night before, and set off in the morning, arriving at around mid-day. It was a little more well-to-do than their own humble village, that much they could see purely from their approach. A low stone wall surrounded an entire hillside, closing around a collection of modest huts and a larger mansion at the top of the hill. Stepping stones led paths throughout the village, winding down the slope and to each doorstep. On the other side of the hill, another separate stone wall enclosed a pasture for their animals. Clearly, there was money here, and if nothing else it promised a comfortable night’s rest, and hopefully good compensation for their services.

And sure enough, by the last leg of the journey, Kagome was on Inuyasha's back.

“I miss my penny loafers,” she moaned, her chin resting on the hanyou's shoulder with her arms loosely wrapped around him.

Inuyasha scoffed, taking a little too much joy in being proven right. “Well, I hate to say I told ya so-

“Then don't.”

Kagome reluctantly slid off of Inuyasha's back once they had made it further into the village. The letter sent to them had instructed them to go to the largest house on the foot of the hill, and it was there that they found a man clad in a Captain's armour waiting for them on the front steps. He was flanked on either side by his lower-ranking officers, standing in respect for the approaching Demon Slayers. Kagome hadn’t expected such decorum for their visit, but rationalized that their reputation after defeating Naraku must have spread farther than she had thought. However, one look at the mild confusion of her friends had that theory discarded. The Captain stood proud, arms folded behind his back, as he appraised his visitors. The flag of the Takeda clan waved on a dozen poles, lining the pillars the mansion.

The Captain's eyes narrowed the moment he spotted Inuyasha. With one snap of his fingers, his men reached for the swords at their belts. 

Inuyasha reached out and pushed himself in front of Kagome, glaring dangerously at the Captain; and more importantly, the pale crystal hanging from a chain on his belt.


	3. Chapter 3

It was difficult not to take it as an insult. This middle of nowhere dump of run-down shacks and ignorantly pleasant inhabitants was hardly the buzzing metropolis he had expected as his assignment. Still, he knew better than to question his Master. He was grateful for his promotion to Captain, and as far as the higher powers were concerned, that was the end of the story. Nothing to ask, nothing to question. He accepted what he was given and moved on.

But it was no secret amoung his men that Captain Yorino had absolutely no desire to be there. Yes, there were many issues he did not dare bring to the attention of his master. For instance, why he had been ordered to send for help in slaying demons that had been tormenting his stationed village. With the power his Master had so graciously given him, he could easily subjugate the hateful creatures; given he couldn't kill it, but his men could do the rest. Why he had to ask the help for four Demon Slayers from miles away was beyond him, but it was not his place to question. Captain Yorino believed he was an honourable and loyal man, but there was only so much even he could take before he became frustrated.

Yorino had awoken that morning to the insufferable sound of the village roosters crowing and had to restrain himself from ordering one of his men to take up his bow and shoot it down. The pacification of the villagers, as he was told, was of vital importance. He could not risk causing an uproar, no matter how easily subjugated the peasants would be. They were there to keep hold of an important, strategic point in the campaign to overtake the country, and while making the villagers angry certainly wouldn't jeopardize that, it would make life a lot easier to keep them placated. All in all, that wasn't hard too do. They were almost embarrassingly simple-minded.

His life these past months had been a push and pull from task to task. Following orders, ensuring his men did the same, and overseeing his stake in this campaign to restore order to the war-torn land. Yorino did his duty and did it well. So, when the Demon Slayers entered his courtyard in the company of an Inu Hanyou, Yorino _had_ to wonder what exactly his Master was planning. To be so specific in demanding that they hire _these_ people, he must have known about the beast in their midst.

Still, decorm could only go so far, and it didn't mean he had to be _welcoming_ of the wretch in his village. His eyes narrowed, and without second thought or remorse, he snapped his fingers. The Samurais surrounding him obediently reached to their swords, waiting for the order to draw them.

He watched as the Inu Hanyou held his arm out and pushed himself in front of the priestess, snarling up at him and, no doubt, claiming the woman as his territory like a feral dog. The priestess reached out and placed her hand on the hanyou's shoulder; obviously, she'd been taught to be obedient too. The monk and the taijiya tensed and took a step closer to one another -but they were of little interest to him.

A long beat of silence drifted over what could quickly become a battlefield in the courtyard, filled only by the hanyou's feral snarling. Finally, the priestess seemed to have had enough and stepped out from behind the demon. “I think there's been a misunderstanding...” she began hesitantly, her grip on the red bow in her hand tightening.

“What do you think you're _doing_ Kagome?” the hanyou snapped. “Get back!”

Clearly, the young woman really didn't know what she thought she was doing, but did not seem wise enough to let that stop her. “We were called here to help with your demon problem! We've come as allies!” When the soldiers did not back down, and Yorino found himself too intrigued to make orders for them to do so, the colour began to flush from the woman’s cheeks. Yorino raised his hand.

The hanyou reached out to grab her shoulder. “I said get _back_ , Kagome!”

The priestess gritted her teeth as the Yorino cut his hand through the air, expecting an attack. Her hand moved back to the quiver on her back, fingers brushing against an arrow. In unison, the Samurais sheathed their katanas and stood straight. Kagome flinched at the sudden movement, but once she realized what was happening, she slowly began to relax. The Captain stared down at her from the top of the stairs.

“Kagome. The name is familiar,” the Captain frowned, scanning his piercing gaze over the group before him. “You are the warriors that defeated that nuisance Naraku three years ago, I trust?” His gaze lingered on Inuyasha. “And their dog.”

“Watch it,” the half-demon snapped. Kagome held her hand out to him, the only thing keeping him from starting a fight himself.

The monk, Miroku as he recalled, reluctantly straightened up to address the Yorino and his men. “We are the same. Inuyasha is the strongest of us. I would show him some respect.” A peacemaker. _Interesting_ , Yorino thought, that his pacification seemed to run out when it came to such an unholy creature.

“A _Hanyou,”_ Yorino sneered, that word alone enough to fuel his argument.

“Look,” the taijiya hissed, “do you want our help, or don't you?”

He didn't. That was the simplest answer. The Captain had wanted nothing to do with a band of Demon Slayers in the first place, and now even less so. What on earth did his Master want with a half-demon entering his land? His kind was the very thing his campaign had set out to eradicate. He would have to seek his council later. For now, no matter how bitter the taste it left in his mouth, he'd have to appease them. “Very well,” he grunted. “I must... apologize for my reaction. You are not what I expected, and as many have, I was taught to be... cautious of Demons.” With this he flickered his cold gaze back to Inuyasha. “I am Captain Yorino, of the Great Warlord Masao Tadeka's army. Welcome.”

It was all Yorino could do not to draw his own sword, when he watched the priestess lean to whisper in the hanyou’s ear, the two of them sharing a barely suppressed laugh in his presence. Yorino met Inuyasha’s gaze, his lip twitching. The creature had the audacity to _smirk_ at him. Yorino exhaled roughly through his nose. “You will be shown to your lodgings and given a good meal. In the morning, you will be shown to the Demon,” the Captain concluded, waving a hand to one of his men. The Samurai bowed, albeit begrudgingly, and stepped out of line to lead them.

“This way,” the soldier grunted.

Exchanging glances in silence conversation, the group agreed however hesitantly to follow, trailing behind at a good distance in case things turned sour again. Captain Yorino watched them go, watched as the Hanyou stepped up to the young lady's side, watched as the priestess brushed their arms together in wordless comfort. That such a beautiful young woman, and a Priestess at that, would call a Hanyou companion made his blood boil. In a strike of fury, his hand reached up to curl around the pale crystal hanging from his neck. A wave of satisfaction crashed over him as the crystal emitted its blue-tinted glow.

The effect was swift. The wretch hadn’t gotten more than three steps before his composure fell, and he stumbled just to stay upright. His hand flew to his forehead, a low, pained groan ripped from his throat.

The priestess’s hand was on his back in an instant. “Inuyasha?” she frowned. The concern in her voice made Yorino’s head roar.

“M'fine,” Inuyasha growled.

Kagome remained unfazed by his deceit. “Liar,” she retorted. She hadn’t the thought or sense to look for the external source of his pain. Still, her suspicious gaze looked back at Yorino. In a subtle shift, he let go of the crystal, and turned his back on his unwanted guests. Just as he entered his dwelling, he could hear the priestess sigh. “Come on. Let’s get inside. Some rest will do us all good.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The crackling of the fire that night did little to warm the cold atmosphere of the village outside. The lodging hut they'd been given was decent enough, more than suitable for a short stay, but with their earlier treatment, they still couldn't quite call it comfortable. Within minutes of their meeting with the uptight Captain, ever door and window in the village had been closed off, whispers spreading out on every street as the villagers looked back at them in fear and mild disgust. Although _them_ wasn’t quite accurate. Every loathsome stare was directed at Inuyasha. His companions were only seen as secondary. Even as Inuyasha held his head high and refused to look a single one of them in the eyes, their bigotry spread through the village, until every inhabitant had shut themselves away.

Nothing new there, though. Nothing extraordinary about it. Inuyasha had grown too comfortable in a village of people who likely only tolerated him because of his friends, and the power he had to protect them all. Outside that minuscule haven, the rest of the country hadn’t changed, and he’d never had the expectation that they would. The only thing that bothered him in the slightest was Kagome’s reaction to seeing it. To watch her face fall, her arm hooked around his as they’d been lead to their lodging holding him tight, had been torture. Inuyasha would gladly have turned around and left the village to deal with the demon infestation on their own, had it not been for her stupid golden heart.

Later that night, as they got settled in and relaxed, they were given a pot of stew to cook over their hearthfire, along with canteens of fresh water. They were left sitting on the porch in front of the door, the villager delivering them having knocked and walked off before any of them could see who it was. Inuyasha had, admittedly, given it a cursory sniff for poison before allowing it to be brought inside.

“It's strange, though,” Sango commented an hour later as she began to ladle out their meal into bowls. “Normally, we'd be shown to the Demon at once, and then given our lodgings to rest the night. If it was so urgent, why wait?”

“There is something suspicious about this place,” Miroku agreed as he took one of the bowls and passed it on to Kagome. He offered another to Inuyasha, standing guard by the door. At the hanyou’s look of disgust, Miroku sighed and took the bowl as his own.

Ears twitching toward the door at every passing sound, Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “You know fully well what I think,” he shrugged. He certainly hadn’t made any attempts to hide his contempt for the village, especially that pompous ass of a Captain. Glancing out through a crack in the shoji door for the nth time that evening, Inuyasha watched the empty street outside. All the while, he could practically _feel_ Kagome’s gaze burning into his back. When he finally turned his attention toward the inside of the hut again, his patience reached its end. “Kagome, would you quit staring at me like that?”

The priestess in question frowned, but quickly averted her gaze. “I was just making sure you were okay.”

“Well, don't.”

“Inuyasha,” Miroku called out to him, his voice calm and sure to stop any argument about to break out. “Did you catch the scent of any demons in the area?”

“Nothing,” he answered, shifting to lean back against the wall. “So, wherever this demon is, it must be in hiding and only attacks occasionally. Otherwise, they would have led us straight to it.”

“That would make sense...” Kagome trailed off.

Catching the uncertainty in her voice, Inuyasha's harsh attitude toward her changed in an instant. His expression softened in concern. “What is it?”

“Well,” Kagome began, “it might be nothing. When we were coming toward the village, I just didn't feel any demonic aura. What I did feel was something else, something... sinister, I guess. Whatever it was, it wasn't demonic.”

Inuyasha scoffed. “So it's just really good at hiding, so what?”

“No,” Kagome shook her head, “there was something _familiar_ about this aura.”

“I don't like the sound of that.” Sango frowned.

“Yeah well, whatever it is, we'll find out in the morning,” Inuyasha grunted as he pushed off the wall. “I'll be outside.”

Kagome set her bowl down. “Inuyasha, maybe you should stay-”

“I said I’ll just be outside,” Inuyasha snapped. He didn’t give himself time to regret the outburst.Turning on his heel, he pushed the sliding door aside, stepped through, and slammed it shut behind him. The night had long since cooled down, and the fresh air washing over him was instant relief from the oppressive heat inside the hut. Inuyasha forced a rough sigh, pushing his hand back through his fringe. It wasn’t a minute later that he heard the door sliding open and shut again behind him. Growling under his breath, Inuyasha spun around to face her. “Maybe you didn't get the message Kagome, but it was implied that I wanted to be _alone._ ” The moment he turned, that sour regret caught up with him, but it was too late to take it back. The way the moonlight and the glow of the fire through the window lit up Kagome’s features was enough to make his fists clench in shame.

“No you don't,” she stated, not an ounce of doubt in her voice. “You tell yourself that, but you don't really mean it.”

Inuyasha's chest burned. “And how do you know that?” he bite out, still unable to keep the harshness out of his voice.

Kagome did not so much as flinch. “Because... I know you. And this is exactly what you do when you’re hurt. You put on this,” she gestured toward him, “this stupid tough guy attitude. You lash out and anyone and everyone to protect yourself, and... you don’t _have_ to do it, Inuyasha.”

“Hurt?” Inuyasha repeated incredulously. “Look, if you think I got my feelings hurt by some Jackass's backwards opinion of me, you've got it all wrong. I'm _used_ to this Kagome, it's my _life._ ”

Patience running out, Kagome rolled her eyes. “Would you stop it already?”

“Stop what?”

“Pushing me away!”

“I don't know how!”

The twilight crickets chirping in the trees overwhelmed the emptiness after Inuyasha's echoing shout. As they stared at each other in the silent aftermath, neither daring to breathe, a breeze rolled through and rustled through the overgrown grass. Kagome let go of her tension, taking a step forward to close the distance between them. Inuyasha didn’t dare to move as she approached, could barely breathe as he watched her. Kagome stopped, just inches in front of him. Lifting her hand, she held his cheek in her palm. The moment she touched him, Inuyasha deflated. He shut his eyes, leaning into her hand as he leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. “I don’t... that’s now what I want, Kagome. I’m not trying to push you away...”

“But you’re not letting me in, either,” Kagome murmured.

Inuyasha couldn’t contest that. “I meant what I said, just...” he released a trembling breath, finally looking Kagome in the eyes, “just not how I said it. I am used to this Kagome.”

She shook her eyes, eyes shining. “You shouldn’t have to be.”

“But I am,” Inuyasha breathed. “This is just... my life, and I don’t know how else to deal with it.”

“Then let me help you.”

The words were so simple. Inuyasha felt his lungs stutter at the quiet certainty in her voice. He nodded, closing his eyes again as Kagome drew back. He’d expected her to step away, to head back inside, but the moment he felt her lips against his cheek, his eyes snapped open and his face flushed. Every instinct Inuyasha had developed over his long life screamed at him to rip his hand out of her grasp, to run, shout, argue, whatever he needed to do to keep himself guarded. One touch from Kagome was all it took to shut him down.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

No one was allowed in the inner rooms of the mansion, and this was precisely why. Captain Yorino slid the door shut behind him and locked it, glancing through the paper blind to make sure his guards weren't watching. This was the darkest, innermost room of the mansion, surrounded by nothing but empty corridors and vacant spaces, the only place he was even remotely safe. His men never questioned nor imposed themselves on him, a demanded respect keeping them well in line. Yorino made certain of that, and even if he should fail, their fearful regard for their Master would quell any such disobedience. These rituals were not to be spied on. No one dared to question what would happen should they try.

It was a kind of authority Yorino could happily wield, and one he’d striven for all his career. Before pledging his service to his Master, Yorino had been the Captain of another Warlord's army. It was all he had ever known, belonging to a long line of warriors. He'd served countless Warlords in this era of constant battle. However, the gain and loss of village after village grew tiresome. There was no honour in scrambling for scraps of land, no victory, no glory. When one Warlord fell, he'd move on to serve another, a snake slithering across a battlefield.

No more. If there was one Master he was loyal to, it was Lord Masao, the rightful heir of the Takeda. His was finally a cause Yorino believed in, and a Lord powerful enough to be worthy of service.

Kneeling in the centre of the room, Yorino yanked the pale crystal from his armour and tossed it into the air in front of him. The crystal hung in the air, emitting its pure blue light as its chain swayed in an invisible wind. “Master,” he addressed, bowing down low onto the rug.

A voice answered him from within the crystal. “They've arrived?”

“They have,” Yorino confirmed. “You'll... you'll have to forgive me, my Lord, but one of them, he's-”

“A Hanyou.” The light emanating from the crystal shifted to a blood-red glow. “You think I was unaware, Captain?”

“N-No!” Yorino cowered back. “No, of course not, my Lord. I was just... asking for clarification, I suppose. Master, if you'd be so gracious as to tell me, why did you have me call upon them?”

For a long moment, the crystal didn't answer. The hair on the back of Yorino's neck rose.

“A Hanyou,” the voice repeated. “I believed you to be an intelligent man, Captain, but perhaps I gave you too much credit.” Yorino's hands clenched on his lap. “This is a test. Tomorrow, you will use the crystal and observe. Understood?”

“Yes, Master.”

Without another word of acknowledgment, the crystal ceased its glowing and dropped to the ground with a light clatter. Yorino was left staring at the place it had once been, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light as he absorbed himself in his own thoughts. Whoever this Hanyou was, the Master believed him important enough to warrant caution; he would never say so aloud, but that much was obvious. Otherwise, he'd just kill him immediately. He certainly wasn't one for asking questions first.

Picking up the crystal from off the floor, Yorino hung it from his neck once again and rose to his feet. Nothing to do now but follow orders. That, he could do, and do well.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Inuyasha and Kagome spent the late hours of the night lying out on the grassy hillside, staring up at the stars and enjoying the cool breezes through the humid air. They talked. Just talked. It was so _easy_ that Kagome found herself smiling without any other reason, blinking tiredly up at Inuyasha whenever he caught her. Every so often, Kagome would point up at a cluster of stars and trace out a constellation, and they would dissolve into conversations about her world and the time they’d spent apart. By midnight, Kagome had begun to drift off. Subconsciously seeking warmth, she had curled up against Inuyasha's side and fallen asleep. At some point, she could just barely recall stirring as Inuyasha gathered her up in his arms and carried her inside, laying her down on her bedroom. The hut was still warm from the dying embers. Kagome had sighed, vaguely aware of Inuyasha sitting back against the wall as he pulled a blanket over her form. She was out again in moments.

And, as always, morning came too quickly.

Kagome groaned as she came to and pulled her blanket tighter around her, swatting Inuyasha's foot away as it nudged her persistently in the side.

“Come on, get up already,” Inuyasha prodded her.

“Five more minutes,” she whined, tugging the blanket over her head.

“Not a chance.”

“Alright, alright!” Kagome finally gave in. With a long yawn, she stretched herself out and sat up, the blanket falling off her shoulders. It took her a few moments too long to realize that her supposed blanket was Inuyasha's haori, A scarlet blush crawled its way onto her cheeks before she could stop it. “Uh, you'll probably want this back,” she said as he held it out to him, turning her face away. Gods, it was like she was fifteen all over again. Memories of the night before came rushing back, innocently lying on the cool grass and falling asleep against the hanyou's side. It was nothing to be embarrassed about, but her treacherous cheeks apparently did not agree.

Inuyasha took the haori and slipped it back on. Kagome could have been imagining it, but she could have sworn she saw a tint of colour to his cheeks too. “We don't got all day, “he scoffed as he tied the fabric into place.

“I'm up!” Kagome argued, the laughter in her voice barely hidden under mock anger. Pushing herself to her feet, Kagome made her way over to the water basin in the corner and washed her face, the sharp cold of the water serving to force her fully awake. “That's better,” she sighed. “Where are Miroku and Sango?”

“Sango's out behind the hut warming up for the extermination. Miroku is pretending to meditate so he can watch her.”

“Of course he is,” Kagome shook her head. “Well, I'll go see if I can get us some breakfast,” she offered, walking toward the door only to have Inuyasha step in her way.

“I don't think that's a good idea,” he insisted gruffly.

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Why not?”

“There's a demon out there somewhere, Kagome. What if it comes back while you're out? Besides,” he faltered for a moment. “I don't trust these people.”

That much was understandable. If she'd been treated like he had been when they arrived, she wouldn't trust them either; in fact, just for the way they treated him, she really didn't. But it was for that same reason that she didn't want him going out with her. Who knew how the villagers would react? “I'll be fine,” she reassured. “Promise.” With Inuyasha pacified for the time being, she slipped out the door before he could change his mind.

The morning was already bright and clear, the humidity of the night before still hanging in the air. Behind the hut, she could hear Sango practicing her katas and the light jingle of Miroku's prayer beads swaying as he pretended to meditate. Beyond their secluded lodgings, the rest of the village was alive and bustling with activity. Farmers headed out to their fields, families played with their children outside, and carts pulled by cattle were herded up and down the roads. It was a little busier than their village, but peaceful in its own right - and it only made it abundantly clear how deliberate their reaction was to Inuyasha.

Making her way up the dirt road, Kagome figured her best bet of finding breakfast was to go to the mansion at the centre of the village. Along the way she was met with bows of respect from people passing by, their attitudes so pleasant Kagome couldn’t help but find it malicious. She tried to be polite, to wave and bow her head in return as she passed, but at the same time quickened her pace so she might get what she needed and return to her friends as quickly as possible.

“Did you hear the news?” one of the villagers on the side of the road asked his friend as they set up their cart of eggs. “Our Lord Masao has taken more land to the North, with hardly a shot fired!”

Overhearing the conversation, Kagome slowed down enough to listen.

The older man nodded as he stood from unhooking his ox from the cart. “Good. If he can deliver on what he promises, I wish him all of Japan.”

“A world without demons. About damn time, I say.”

Kagome frowned, unable to place why that sent a chill through her body. Everyone wished for a world without the plague of demons taking lives and destroying everything they've worked for. It was common enough sentiment. Still, the way they had said it didn't sit well with her. Eyes lingering on the two men as they set up their wares for the morning, she began walking again, only to feel a hand on the back of her kimono yanking her aside. Kagome yelped in surprise, stumbling to regain her footing as she struggled to catch up with what had just happened. A Samurai stood in her path, looking disgruntled at almost being bumped into. Behind her, Inuyasha still had his hand on her back, glaring at the armoured man.

“Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention,” Kagome apologized.

“It's quite alright, Priestess,” the Samurai bowed, though his harsh gaze remained trained on the half-demon behind her. “I was just on my way to bring you and your companions breakfast.”

“We'll take it from here then,” Inuyasha grunted, taking the black box of food from the Samurai. He seemed just as eager to get back to their hut as Kagome was. The moment he felt the box’s weight though, his brow furrowed, and Kagome knew something wasn’t right. He opened the lid a crack, and as Kagome peered over his shoulder, she saw clearly that there were only three smaller packages inside, with a fourth space empty. Glaring up at the Samurai, Inuyasha caught sight of the sac hanging from his side and smirked. “Y'know, _Miroku_ does come off pretty unlikable, but you should still give him something to eat,” he mocked as snatched the sac from off the Samurai's side and pulled out another, smaller box. Sure enough, inside was the missing meal.

Fists clenching at his sides, the Samurai remained rigid. “A simple mistake. It won't happen again.”

“I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding,” Kagome stepped in, the tension in the air cut by her soft voice. “Thank you for our meal. Come on, Inuyasha.” Hooking her arm through his, she forced a smile back at the Samurai and dragged the hanyou off toward their hut. “You know, you're _really_ not helping your case, acting like that.”

Inuyasha scoffed. “It's their own fault!”

“I know,” Kagome sighed, “but you can... I don’t know, be the bigger person and prove them wrong.”

“When have I _ever_ wanted to be the bigger person?”

“It was a long shot.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

By noon, the four demon slayers were well-rested, well-fed, and on their way through the forest bordering the village. The woods stretched down into a shallow valley beyond the hill, the forest floor was thick with moss and roots, making the journey deeper into it difficult. Inuyasha complained more than once that it would be faster if he could just jump through the trees, but one attempt had left him tangled in a web of vines. Kagome had burst into laughter as she watched Sango argue about cutting him down until the taijiya eventually just let him fall to the ground face first. Captain Yorino and the small group of soldiers he’d enlisted to follow were less than amused by the whole scene.

“This way,” Captain Yorino called back to them as he went ahead, his men lingering behind the group to make sure they didn't get lost.

“This guy must be a lot of fun at parties,” Sango grumbled under her breath as they followed, earning a muffled laugh and a playful shove from Inuyasha, the incident forgotten.

As deeper they traveled into the forest, Inuyasha couldn’t help but notice Kagome become uneasy. He watched her hawkishly, slowing his pace despite his earlier complaints to fall back and walk by her side. Brushing his arm against hers, he silently drew her attention. Kagome blinked up at him. She offered only a fleeting smile, a silent reassurance that she was alright, before her gaze was drawn back to the deep forest. Her words from the night before came to mind, that she hadn’t felt any demonic aura anywhere near the village, but instead a familiar energy. Whatever this was, it was troubling her, and that alone was enough to have him on high alert. Finally, Captain Yorino stopped at marker, a talisman hanging from a tree branch. “You will find the Demons through there,” he pointed up ahead.

“About time,” Inuyasha cracked his knuckles. His restless energy was begging for a release. Itching for a good fight, he led his companions past the marker.

The beaten path led them into a clearing where the trees were few but tall, stretching their branches over head and creating a canopy of leaves filtering out the sunlight. Withered flowerbeds dotted the ground, crawling over the moss and weeds. Not a single bug flew through the air, and most notably, not a demon was in sight.

Inuyasha's grip tightened on the tessaiga still at his side. “Alright, come out you coward!” he shouted.

“Wait,” Kagome's hand shout out to his shoulder, her eyes fixed dazedly ahead of them.

Inuyasha frowned. “Kagome?”

“Just wait,” She insisted. Making sure the others wouldn't follow, Kagome stepped lightly into the centre of the clearing. She had been right; something about this aura was familiar. Demonic, but not threatening. Even Inuyasha could feel it now. Standing completely still, not a thread of tension in her body, Kagome waited as if she were opening herself out to something beyond the trees.

A quiet shrill came from the treetops. Long tendrils of blue creatures swam through the beams of filtered light. “Soul Collectors,” she breathed. The shinidamachū floated down toward her, wound their eel-like bodies in lazy circles through the air and around Kagome's body, brushing against her with their whispered, melodic trills. It was almost playful. Kagome laughed as one of them gently spiralled up her arm and around the other, placing its head in her hand.

Inuyasha's hand fell limp from the tessaiga, his breath caught in his through as he watched the eerie scene unfold. The familiarity of it was painful; the beautiful priestess surrounded by the floating creatures. His soul ached. Still, even as he watched, he was struck with both the familiarity and the differences; how Kagome made the stoic demons seem warm and welcoming, how she laughed as she showed them affection. In that moment, Inuyasha watched her as a whole. She could truly see her - all of her, Kikyo as the gentle past, and Kagome as the warm present and future. No conflict, no trying to see one from the other, just who she used to be and who she was. The shinidamachū recognized her soul, and for the first time, so did Inuyasha. A weight he didn't know he was carrying after all these years lifted from his chest.

Yorino’s voice shattered the quiet illusion. “What are you waiting for? Destroy them!” the captain barked from the edge of the clearing.

Kagome spun toward the Captain, her eyes wide and panicked. “But they're peaceful!”

Captain Yorino snarled and stepped into the clearing. “Destroy them!”

Fleeing the negative aura entering their space, the Soul Collectors cowered behind Kagome.


	4. Chapter 4

The tension in the air was acidic. The shinidamachū quivered behind their decided protector, their graceful floating reduced to frantic squirms in the air. Feeding off their fear, Kagome glared across the clearing at Captain Yorino. “What did they do wrong?” she demanded to know, head high. “Have they hurt anyone in the village? Have they stolen? Have they disturbed you?”

“No,” the Captain spat, “but what does it matter? Their presence here is enough to taint the air! They are demons, the embodiment of evil on Earth!”

Inuyasha watched the confrontation with growing fury, a protective heat radiating off his body as the Captain shout at Kagome. “She said _no_ ,” he growled, striding across the dew-soaked grass until he stood in a combative crouch between Kagome and the Samurai, hand around the hilt of his sword. To their left, Sango and Miroku remained still, trying to avoid provoking a fight while standing in solidarity with their companions.

Captain Yorino stiffened, clenching his jaw so tight Kagome was convinced it was seconds away from shattering. He seemed to be weighing his options in the stand-off. Kagome prepared herself for an altercation, fully expectant on Yorino commanding his soldiers to attack. Her hand twitched back toward her quiver, the moment she saw Yorino stand up straight, only relaxing once he’d turned around. “Back to the village,” he barked to his men.

With no questions asked, the Samurai obeyed and filed into line to travel back through the thick woods. Inuyasha remained completely still at her side, ready to strike at any moment until they were long out of sight. “Bastards,” he growled under his breath as he slid back up to his full height.

“Y'know, you guys are actually pretty cute,” Kagome cooed at the shinidamachū twirling around her, as happy as their stoic natures would show. Years ago, the creatures brought a sickening dread every time she saw them. Looking at them now, she wondered how she ever could have been anything but charmed by them. She supposed many of her thoughts back then had changed with time.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “I didn't care how cute they are - which they’re not,” he added as Kagome smiled at him. “They’ve got to go.” Leaving Kagome to her apparent new friends, he looked over to Sango and Miroku. “Well, it looks like this one was a bust,” he sighed. It certainly wasn't the first time something like this had happened since their retirement from jewel shard hunting, but that didn't make it any less annoying.

“Nothing we can do about that,” Sango shrugged as she secured the Hiraikotsu by its straps over her shoulder. “Come on, if we leave now, we can make it halfway home by nightfall.”

With nothing left to say or do, Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha began making their way back through the forest, following the retreating Samurai. Kagome had hardly realised they were leaving until she heard Inuyasha huff and walk back to her. “Are you planning on comin' or what?” he asked.

Kagome stuck her tongue out at the hanyou in retaliation against his impatience. “Just a second,” she promised before turning her attention back to the shinidamachū swirling around her. “I'm sorry, but he was right. You can't stay here,” she murmured to them. “It's not safe for you. If you travel farther up the mountain and away from this village, you might find a safe place.”

As if to show gratitude, one of the shinidamachū brushed its face against her cheek before circling the others and guiding them back into the forest. Whether they would listen, or whether they understood her, Kagome didn't know. All she felt was relief at avoiding a confrontation and the prosecution of innocent creatures. Whatever the Captain's problem was with them was completely beyond her. Standing in the clearing and watching as their otherworldly glow disappeared into the trees, it was hard to imagine why anyone, even her, had found them menacing. She didn't realize she had been staring until she heard Inuyasha shifting from foot to foot behind her. Kagome looked back at him, catching the haunted look in his eyes. “Inuyasha...” she began hesitantly, glancing back at him from over her shoulder as she turned to face him, “that didn't bother you, did it? I mean, seeing them... and me... like this.” she stumbled over her tongue trying to find the right way to voice her concerns.

“No, why would it?” Inuyasha tried to shrug it off, his eyes flickering past her to the faint glow the demons left behind.

“You know why.”

Inuyasha opened his mouth, preparing to argue, but the words fell silent off his tongue. His golden gaze flickered between Kagome and the dense forest one last time, before settling on her. Kagome imagined that Inuyasha liked to think he had built up a good mask over his lifetime, but he couldn’t be more wrong in her eyes. Inuyasha wore his heart on his sleeve. Even if his thoughts were not always clear, his emotions were always plain on his face, and Kagome would be remiss if she hadn’t noticed that haunted look in his eyes. She waited patiently for him to respond, watching as he struggled to find the words. “I thought it might,” he confessed. “But...no. It didn’t.”

Kagome looked at him skeptically. “Promise?”

Inuyasha scoffed and rolled his eyes, quickly picking up his typical demeanour. “Yeah, I promise.”

Satisfied with his answer, Kagome smiled and reached forward to take his hand. “Good.”

All at once, both of them tensed. Inuyasha's ears flicked toward the forest, tilting his nose into the air. Kagome's head snapped in the same direction. Before either of them could reach for their weapons, the weight of a colossal body slamming into the ground sent them flying through the air in different directions, flung to the ground in a cloud of dirt and rocks.

Kagome skidded across the ground, skin scraping over the ragged earth and burning with the sting. By the time the momentum ceased, there was no time to think of the pain. A giant, clawed paw rushed towards her. Kagome scrambled for her bow, only to find that her quiver had spilt her arrows across the clearing. A scream was caught and silenced in her throat as she tried to cover her head with her arms, waiting for the impact. Seconds before the claws tore into her, the Hiraikotsu came spinning through the air, slicing the demon's paw off at the wrist before coming back around and lodging itself in its back.

“Kagome!” Miroku's hands were on her shoulders before she could register what was happening, pulling her out of the way and behind the cover of a nearby tree. “Are you alright?”

Shaking herself from the shock, Kagome quickly pulled herself together and looked down at herself. A few bleeding scrapes on her arms and legs, but not even enough to soak through the fabric of her clothing. “I'm fine,” she panted, peaking out from behind the tree. “Where's Inuyasha?” The Hanyou's enraged shouting echoed off the forest with the sound of tearing scales. That answered that. “You go help them, I need to gather my arrows.”

Confident that Kagome could handle herself, and if something should happen they'd be there to help, Miroku nodded and ran out into the fray. Their opponent was an enormous lizard demon with poisonous spines protruding from its scaled grey back, thrashing wildly through the clearing as Sango and Inuyasha tag teamed it. Unable to get a good, clean shot in, they were forced to resort to evading aimless attacks and hitting what was in their way. Kagome scrambled to her feet and rushed toward the first arrow she saw, latching it onto her bowstring and pulling it back to take aim. Aim was the problem. The beast was so erratic and without thought that she couldn't focus on any lethal point. Realizing they were going to run out of time, she let go and watched as the arrow embedded itself in the Demon's knee. It howled in pain, slit tongue flicking out of its maw as it zeroed in on its attacker.

Kagome realized her mistake too late. _A little out of practice I guess,_ she thought as she threw herself to the ground, narrowly missing the claws swiping through the air above her. Without missing a beat, Inuyasha leapt through the air and clawed at the creature's tail to distract it from her. Kagome quickly righted herself, reaching for another arrow on the ground a few feet away. _Why isn't he using the Tessaiga?_ One slash of the fang sword and this demon would be destroyed. They could have been on the way back to the village by now. It only left one sickening explanation. _He can't._

Inuyasha propelled himself off a tree trunk and spun through the air, swiping his claws at the demon's back only to be swatted away moments later by its tail. He skidded to the ground, stopped only when his back rammed into another tree's roots. Sweat beaded on his brow. His vision blurred. Across the clearing, he watched as Kagome gathered the arrows within her reach, while Sango and Miroku struggled with the demon. What the fuck was happening to him? The Tessaiga hung useless at his side, unable to transform as he'd discovered at the beginning of the battle. Whatever this was, it was affecting both him and his sword, and he really didn't like the thought of that. Inuyasha forced himself to his feet only to cringe and fall back down to his knees, clutching his head in his hands. A stake being driven through his skull would have been merciful.

A scream pierced his ears from across the clearing and for a moment he swore his heart burst from his chest. Inuyasha looked up to see the Demon's open maw falling toward her, bared teeth bigger than her torso. _He couldn't make it to her in time_. “Kagome!”

Kagome watched in paralyzing fear as the Demon's razor teeth came at her, its open mouth like a dark cave to swallow her whole. Inuyasha's cracked shout was drowned out by her own heartbeat, but the distant voice managed to snap her out of her frozen terror. Kagome tried to scramble out of the way only to trip and twist her ankle as the Demon's colossal paw crashed into the earth and knocked her off balance. And suddenly she was three feet off the ground and shielding her eyes against a cloud of dirt. Regaining her senses, Kagome looked up to find five shinidamachū carrying her to safety. Her gaze snapped back down to the battle the moment she heard a familiar voice yelp in pain. Inuyasha was flung across the clearing once again by the Demon's tail, landing limp in the middle of the open grass. He didn't get up.

The shinidamachū deposited Kagome in the sturdy branches of a tree and remained to hover around her. There was no time to thank them. The Demon was recovering from its stumble and heading straight for Inuyasha. “Sango!” she cried out. “There's something wrong with Inuyasha!”

The taijiya rolled expertly out of the way of the Demon's claws, springing up to catch Hiraikotsu as it spun back to her. Tensing at Kagome's cry, she redirected her attention to the hanyou in the middle of the battlefield. “Miroku, distract it!” she shouted to her husband as she ran toward their fallen comrade.

Without missing a beat, Miroku reached into his robes and pulled out a bundle of sutras. He'd only brought sutras fit for expelling demonic spirits from homes, they weren't nearly strong enough to do any damage, but from what he saw earlier, spiritual energy irritated the demon. The monk threw them onto the Demon's back as it ran toward Inuyasha, effectively drawing its attention to him. Just before the Demon stopped and howled in pain, Sango ran in the way and grabbed Inuyasha, hauling him over her shoulders. The demon turned, oversized feet digging up the earth as it changed course and Sango wasted no time in carrying Inuyasha away.

The Demon descended on Miroku, claws flared and mouth open to devour him. Miroku gripped his staff, ready to either evade the attack or fight for his life. He didn't have to. The whistling of an arrow flying through the air ended abruptly with the sound of stone embedding itself into the soft tissue of the Demon's neck. The clearing erupted in bright light as the Demon's flesh dissolved into thin, purified air. Kagome lowered her bow from her place in the trees.

Without the need to be told, the shinidamachū took hold of the Miko and lowered her off the tree branch. The moment her feet touched the ground, Kagome sprinted across the clearing, ignoring the searing pain in her ankle. Sango gently lowered Inuyasha to the ground as she crashed to her knees beside him. “He's burning up.”

Kagome bit her lip and held Sango lay him out comfortably. She brushed a long lock of silver hair from his sweat-dampened face. “Inuyasha? Inuyasha!”

“Was he hit by one of the poisonous spines?” Miroku asked, kneeling at his opposite side.

“N-No, he's not even bleeding anywhere,” Kagome shook her head, gently tapping the unconscious Hanyou's cheek to try to coax him awake. “He just collapsed, and he wasn't using the Tessaiga.”

“Whatever is affecting Inuyasha must also be affecting the Fang,” Miroku concluded gravely.

“It's suspicious,” Sango muttered, her voice just loud enough for them to hear as she retrieved the Hiraikotsu. She sent a wary glance to the forest where the Samurai and their Captain were emerging unharmed. “We were led here to exterminate harmless demons, and just so happened to be attacked by a dangerous one.”

Miroku frowned, following his wife's gaze to the men at the opposite edge of the clearing. “It is, but we can't confront them about it right now. We have to get Inuyasha to safety first.”

“We can't make it back to the village with him like this,” Kagome fretted.

Sango nodded sympathetically. “Then we'll have to stay the night and get out as soon as we can.”

Miroku passed Kagome his staff, giving her a reassuring smile as he pulled Inuyasha up and onto his back. “I don't enjoy being here any more than you two do, but it's our only choice right now.”

Slinging her bow over her shoulder, Kagome stood with Miroku's staff and nodded. The way they had treated Inuyasha had been enough, but his sudden ill health couldn't be a coincidence.

“You've slain the demon! Wonderful, we are certainly in your debt.” Captain Yorino droned as he approached them from across the clearing. He regarded Inuyasha with disdain. “How unfortunate that you were burdened with the hanyou. Is your ankle hurt too much, Priestess? One of my men could easily carry you back.”

Having not noticed Kagome's fall, Miroku and Sango looked to her in worry, silently asking her the same question. Kagome simply stiffened her jaw to keep herself from outright glaring at the Captain. He'd seen her trip, so he'd obviously been close but chose not to help her. “I'm just fine. Thank you.” She couldn't keep the venom from dripping off her tongue with the feigned gratitude. “I can make it back on my own. I've been through worse.” It was true enough, but Inuyasha had always been there to carry her. Now it was her turn to tough it out.

“Very well,” the Captain nodded. “You will be paid promptly, and then you can be on your way.”

“We'll need to stay the night,” Miroku spoke up, his voice firm and unwilling to take no for an answer. “Our companion isn't well, and we won't be able to make the journey back until he has recovered.”

Captain Yorino's lips twitched, threatening to curl in disgust until he was able to put on a mask of indifference. “Then you may leave at your leisure. As I said, we are in your debt,” he flourished with a bow.

The afternoon sunlight glinted off a pendant hanging around his neck, drawing Kagome's attention to it. A pale crystal, cloudy and colourless, swayed on its chain and for a moment seemed to glow a faint blue light. The same crystal flashed before her mind's eye, hanging from the neck of a Bandit. “Thank you.” Kagome nodded, turning on her heel and heading back toward the forest path without another word. Sango and Miroku followed, leaving the Captain to watch them in mounting frustration. Once they were farther away from the Captain and his Samurai, Kagome slowed her erratic pace to let the others catch up to her. It took a moment for her heart to do the same.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When Inuyasha began to stir that late evening, Sango and Miroku excused themselves outside. There were some times, they knew, that Kagome and Inuyasha needed to be alone.

It came in faint twitches of his eyebrows first, his face twisting in discomfort. His fingers, feet, and neck followed in minuscule movements as he grunted and whimpered. Kagome knelt down behind him and lifted his head to rest in her lap. Slivers of fading sunlight slipped through the cracks of the walls and lit the hut in a soft, golden glow. Kagome held her breath as his eyes finally opened. “Inuyasha?”

With a strangled gasp, the hanyou lurched forward, eyes wildly darting around in search of anger. His mind had yet to catch up with him and realize that he wasn't in the middle of battle, frozen from the moment he’d collapsed. The sudden movement had his head swimming moments later, vertigo turning his world sideways.. Kagome reacted immediately, wary of his state of mind as she gently guided him back down to her lap before he hurt himself. “Shhhh, Inuyasha it's me, it's just me,” she hushed.

“Fuck...” Inuyasha cursed, lifting an unsteady hand to his forehead only to let it fall back to his side moments later. “What happened?”

“That's what I'd like to know,” Kagome smiled, brushing his fringe back off his forehead. “You took a bad hit and collapsed.”

Inuyasha frowned, unfocused eyes searching the room until they settled on her looming above him. “You don't think that's all, do you?” It wasn't a question.

“No.”

“Neither do I.”

Kagome sighed. “Speculating isn’t going to do either of us much good at the moment,” she murmured. How do you feel?”

Shifting in a sordid attempt to get comfortable, Inuyasha tried to relax back into Kagome’s lap. “Like I got torn apart and glued back together with tree sap. Twice,” he groaned.

A light laugh slipped from Kagome's lips, the memory of Inuyasha's rage that day in the forest vivid as anything. “Well, I'd say that's pretty sturdy stuff.”

“Tell that to my head.”

Brushing a strand of hair from sticking to his damp face, Kagome took that as close to an admonition that he was in pain as she would get. “Here, I made something that'll help earlier, just in case,” she smiled as she carefully stood, lowering Inuyasha's head gently back down to his pillow. Standing a moment to make sure she had her balance, she limped her way over to the centre of the room where a pot of water was boiling over the fire. Walking back from the clearing to the village really hadn't been the best for her ankle, but it couldn't be helped.

Inuyasha watched her with a deep frown. “You're hurt.”

“It's fine, just sprained it a little,” Kagome reassured him as she lowered herself down at the edge of the firepit. She picked up a mortar and pestle from where she’d left it earlier, and began to grind the contents down.

Gathering enough strength to prop himself up on his elbows, Inuyasha glared back at her. “It is not fine!”

“Well, whether you think it's fine or not, there's nothing we can do about it. Now lay back down and stay still,” she ordered in a no-nonsense tone as she dropped a paste of herbs into the bottom of a shallow cup. Using the deep spoon sitting beside the firepit, she poured boiling water into the cup as let the paste dissolve. A sweet aroma rose off the concoction in ribbons of steam. “Alright,” she began as she stood again, “it may not taste the best, but it'll help your fever and lessen the pain, so you'd better drink a-!” It took only two steps for her to stumble, wincing as her ankle flared in pain.

Inuyasha was quick to try scrambling to his feet. “W-Wait! Be careful, stupid! I'll help you,” he insisted, frantically attempting to reach her only to collapse onto his mat again in a tangle of sheets and silver hair.

Recovering her balance, Kagome rolled her eyes. “Inuyasha,” Kagome sighed as she limped her way back to the hanyou. “I told you to stay still.” Setting the cup on the floor, she knelt down and helped him roll back over onto the mat. She shifted back to her former place at his head, sitting on his pillow so he could rest on her lap. With his head propped up, it was easier to guide the cup to his lips and slowly tilt it back for him to drink.

Taking his first sip, Inuyasha immediately gagged and tried to push it away. “It takes like shit!” he complained.

“It's medicine, what did you expect?” Kagome shrugged. “Now drink up.”

Inuyasha gave a long, pathetic moan under his breath to let Kagome exactly how he felt about her _stupid_ medicine, but made no further protest when she tipped it to his mouth again. He forced it down in three quick gulps before pushing it away again and letting his head fall back onto Kagome's lap.

The priestess was quick to pick up on his sickly pale complexion and nauseated expression. “Are you gonna throw up?”

“I am not gonna throw up.”

“Do you want me to get you a bucket?”

“No.”

“It's okay, it doesn't bother me, Sota used to throw up _everywhere_ when he was a toddler, and even when we were on long trips, or when he was nervous. I'm totally used to it, it's fine-.”

“You are _not_ helping Kagome!”

“Right, sorry.” Kagome ducked her head, sheepishly smiling down at Inuyasha in embarrassment. The sweet expression drew a flash of a smirk on the hanyou's lips, but it didn't last long. Wincing as a wave of lingering pain crashed over him, he curled in fingers in the light sheet draped over him to keep from making any more noise. Kagome bit her lip, the helplessness of not being able to spare him from this making her stomach drop. “Get some rest, alright? Maybe you can sleep it off,” she whispered, idly adjusting the sheet to make him more comfortable.

Inuyasha was far from protesting at that point. With nothing but a faint nod, he let his heavy lids droop closed. His breathing evened out in seconds.

Kagome scarcely left his side for the next three hours. Sango and Miroku returned in time for dinner but spent most of their evening outside. She really couldn't blame them. There wasn't much to do inside the cramped little Hut, and the air was thick and stifling. She thought a few times about opening the sliding door to let a breeze in, but she didn't feel safe opening the room to anyone who wished to walk in. Not in this village. Eventually, though, the room was too suffocatingly stale, and she stood to pull back the screen door. A cool breeze rolled past her and filled the room, dancing through her kimono sleeves. Having compromised her peace of mind for comfort, she took precaution by retrieving her bow and what arrows were left in her quiver from the corner of the room - just to keep them close at hand.

The silence was broken without warning by the sharp escalation of Inuyasha's breathing, growing shallow and ragged from the other side of the room. Hairs on her neck standing on end, Kagome dropped her weapons and scrambled back to his side. Leaning over him, she cupped his sweaty cheek to coax him awake. “Inuyasha? What's wrong?” she asked frantically.

Inuyasha groaned, letting his head fall into the cool touch. “S'too hot,” he rasped.

“O-Okay, hold on.” Kagome blurted, crawling over to the centre of the room. Walking would take to long at that point. Taking a rag from the sac of first aid supplies they had brought, she filled a small bowl with the now cold water and brought them both back to Inuyasha's mat, where the hanyou was currently struggling to take his haori off. Kagome sat down beside him and quickly helped him out of the heavy clothes, tugging off his haori and white under kimono to leave him bare chested. Without wasting a moment, she dipped the rag into the cool water and wiped his forehead. “Is that better?” she asked.

“Mhm,” Inuyasha grunted between laboured and shallow breaths. “Fuck... my head...”

Kagome bit her lip again in nervous habit. Whatever was affecting him was obviously incurable by human medicine, leaving her helpless to do anything but try to make him comfortable. She didn't seem to be doing a very good job at it so far.

“Hey,” Inuyasha's hoarse voice broke her from her thoughts, “don't do that.” Using what little strength he had, he reached up and gently pushed her lip out from between her teeth with the pad of his thumb. His fingers lingered hesitantly over her mouth before dropping back to his side.

“Sorry,” She murmured, perking up slightly when an idea came to mind. “Here.” Carefully lifting his head, she shifted herself so that she had better access to his shoulder, and let him rest against her lap again.

“What are you doing?” he grunted.

“Just relax, it might help,” Kagome assured in the only explanation she would offer. Placing her hands on his bare shoulders, she began to gently squeeze the muscles at the base of his neck and worked her way down to his forearms. Inuyasha melted beneath her fingers, tension slowly starting to slip away as she made her way back up to his neck and down again, slowly increasing the pressure.

“Where'd ya learn how to do this?” Inuyasha slurred, struggling to keep his eyes open.

“Grandpa started having upper back problems two years ago,” she explained in a hushed tone. “A nurse would come to the shrine every week and give him the same massage. Eventually, she taught us all how to do it so we could do it if he was in pain after she left.” Bringing her hands to the base of his neck, she rolled her thumbs in tight circles on either side of his backbone. “Grandpa always complained that I did it too roughly, but Sota and Mom never did it right,” she cringed apologetically, her hands stilling on his skin. “I'm not being too rough, am I?”

“No,” Inuyasha replied immediately. “It... feels really good.”

Kagome smiled down at him, catching a glimpse of the complete relaxation and trust others saw so rarely on his face. “Perfect.” Taking her time, she brought her thumbs up his neck to his hairline and brought them back down again, working along his spine.

“Do you miss your family?” he asked.

Kagome nodded, watching as his eyes finally succumbed to exhaustion and closed. “Of course I do,” she said. “But I chose to be here. With you.”

“That was stupid.”

“Shut up.”

Inuyasha laughed with what breath he could spare, his tired smile no less bright. He let silence fall over them again as Kagome took the wet rag and draped it over her forehead, holding it in place as she braced one hand on the back of his neck and slowly rocked it back and forth. He gave her complete control, closing his eyes as she gently stretched his neck without straining it. “If you miss your family so much, why don't you ever go back?” he asked, barely above a whisper.

“Because,” Kagome began carefully, “after what happened... it just scared me. If I try to go back, I risk being banished from this era.” Kagome laid his head back down on her lap and pushed his hair to the side so it wouldn't get caught. “I just don't think I could deal with that again. I love my family, and they understand that... I belong here.”

“You never regret it?” Inuyasha asked, opening his eyes to catch hers in the dimming firelight. There was something about his tone that sounded unsure, almost scared.

Kagome shook her head, unable to break eye contact. “Not possible,” she breathed. After all, she'd had three years to think about it. Kagome delved her fingers into his hair and began massaging his scalp from the base of his skull to his temples, paying extra attention around his ears. In that time, both of them had matured, no matter how childish, playful, and stubborn they had remained on the outside. Losing each other without a hope of seeing the other again had changed them both, made them appreciate what they had while they still had it. Kagome had nightmares for a year after her unwilling return, with the realization that in her time, Sango and Miroku were long dead, and chances dictated that Inuyasha was too. She imagined his death in terrifying scenarios, unable to save or comfort him in his last moments. It was a reality she couldn't bring herself to face again. She was here. This was where she needed to be.

So absorbed in her own thoughts, Kagome didn't notice until she was about to move on that Inuyasha had fallen asleep, not a trace of pain left on his face. Her hands stilled in his hair, fingertips just barely brushing against his temples as she watched him breathe evenly. The relief was tangible. With a content smile, she continued the head massage, combing her fingers through his hair as calming breezes continued to roll through the open door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note; The dogs serve a real narrative and developmental purpose, I promise, I swear to God, its not just fluff, stay with me here.

The sky was overcast and Inuyasha was restless. He'd spent the better part of breakfast switching between picking at his food and arguing with Kagome over carrying her for the journey back home, to which she stubbornly declined. He argued that her ankle was still hurt, and she would only make things worse if she tried walking on it for two days straight. She countered that he’d spent most of the night ill and feverish, and he shouldn’t strain himself over nothing. It was going nowhere. Miroku and Sango, at least, were wise enough to stay out of it. When Inuyasha wasn't bickering or picking fights, he was pacing, or sitting and bouncing his knee, or tapping his claws on the floor, or just generally driving everyone up the walls. Eventually, Sango threatened to knock him out again, only restraining herself from doing so when Miroku pointed out that they'd have to carry him back. Kagome was just happy he seemed to be feeling better, if not slightly annoyed.

Soon enough, it was time to head back out. None of them could exactly say that they were sorry to be leaving. The morning was dark, storm clouds boiling over the mountains rising up from the valley, but none of them were willing to stay in the village any longer than they needed to. It was just a matter of collecting their pay, and leaving before they got caught in the rain. They could be home by the next afternoon.

Walking through the deserted streets, Kagome sent constant glances toward Inuyasha for any signs of illness or fatigue. The hanyou barely noticed her, his eyes focused on the centre of the village, ears flicking about at every chirping bird or scuffle in the grass. She didn't say anything. He had every right to be on edge. As they approached the mansion at the centre of the village, its elaborate roof rising over the sea of modest huts, he slowly inched his way closer to her, his arm brushing against her shoulder. By the time they reached the courtyard, he was standing right in front of her.

“Good morning. I trust you rested well,” Captain Yorino greeted in all pleasantness from the steps of the mansion, once again flanked by his samurai on either side.

Miroku stepped up, undaunted by the silent display of power in the guise of honour. “Yes, and we thank you again for your hospitality,” he bowed. “As for the discussion of payment...”

Kagome tuned out at that point, as she always had during their time travelling. In the end, Miroku would manage to get just a little more than they deserved, and they'd all roll their eyes and chastise him for swindling their patron, but do nothing about it. She doubted it would be any different today. Eyes flickering from Miroku, to Inuyasha's back, and to the distant mountains, she tried to determine just how long they'd have until the storm broke. Hopefully they'd make it home before then, or at least make as much distance between themselves and this village as possible. Kagome's attention drifted to Captain Yorino, hearing nothing of the conversation. The man was fairly average, nothing extraordinary about him aside from those narrow eyes, alike too much to a serpent as they flitted between her and her companions. He was like every other Captain she'd met; a war hero, a respected authority, and an arrogant imbecile. Captain Yorino, though, sent an instinctual sickness creeping through her veins with one look, like his eyes alone could defile her skin. She jerked her gaze away before he could catch her glaring, her eyes settling on the pale crystal hanging from a chain on his belt.

The soft clinking of coins snapped Kagome from her thoughts. She focused back up as Miroku was handed a sac of gold coins and proceeded to store them away in the folds of his robe. Captain Yorino seemed more than eager to give them whatever they wanted. “Now then, if there's nothing else you'll be needing-”

“Your crystal,” Kagome interrupted without second thought or hesitation. Inuyasha turned around, staring wide-eyed down at her in confusion and warning. Sending him a reassuring nod, she stepped out from behind him.

“I'm sorry?” Yorino scowled.

“It's an interesting armour decoration. I've never seen anything like it,” Kagome continued. “Could you tell me what kind of gemstone it is?”

Yorino faultered, the hesitation not going unnoticed by the priestess. “It was a gift,” he informed her. “From my Master, Lord Takeda Masao. Extremely rare and impossible to acquire. Of course, it was no great feat for my Master to find it.”

“And he didn't mention the name?”

With a clenched jaw, Yorino let out a sharp breath and answered. “It is called a Godstone.”

Kagome frowned, perplexed by the unfamiliar name and how it wrung an inner bell. “Well, it is a beautiful gem,” she nodded, forcing on a smile. “If you ever need our help again, please don't hesitate to call on us.” It was hardly what she wanted to tell them after the way Inuyasha had been treated, but she was obligated to be polite. It wasn't wise to make enemies with people like this. In any case, the tone of her voice betrayed her polite parting; _go to hell._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The storm kept at bay behind them, disappearing over the horizon by nightfall with no signs of following them. The night was clear, allowing them the freedom of sleeping under the stars without looking for shelter. It went unspoken, but none of them were eager to enter another village in this area.

“Godstone,” Kagome murmured to herself, the name tumbling off her lips as she collected dry twigs for the fire back at camp. The dim glow of the burning logs barely lit her way through the long shadows of the trees, but the moonlight was more than enough. Ever since they'd left that village, the name had haunted her thoughts, the image of Yorino's cold and hungry stare enough to make her shiver. Something sinister about that stone and its owner wasn't allowing her mind to be at peace. “Godstone...”

“You really can't let that go, huh?”

Kagome yelped, startled out of her skin as she spun around and tripped over her own feet. Deft arms caught her around the waist before she could hit the ground. It was only a second of the world straightening out before she could look up to see who it was - to absolutely no surprise. “Inuyasha!” she complained, frowning up at him and his infuriatingly brilliant smile. “You made me drop my sticks.”

“I didn’t make you drop anything. You handled that all on your own, Klutz,” Inuyasha fired back, rolling his eyes as he put her back on her feet. At the very least, he bent down to help her keep up the mess. “Y'know you really should be paying more attention,” he said as he grinned up at her from his crouch. “I could'a been a bandit or a demon and you would've been dead by now.”

Kagome elbowed his arm as she stooped down to help him gather the kindling. “I'd say a rude hanyou is nearly as bad. I'm quivering in fear.” Inuyasha nudged her back, and if it weren't for the limited light and sticks bundled in their arms, she would have instigated that nudging war. They both stood, Inuyasha passing her the pile he’d gathered. “How can _you_ let it go?” she sighed, picking up his initial question.

Inuyasha shrugged. “I guess I just haven't been going crazy over it.”

“But why?” Kagome asked as she tucked the bundle under her arm. “Whatever that crystal was, I'm sure it had something to do with what happened to you. He said it was a gift from his Master and practically impossible to find, but that Bandit we ran into had the same crystal around his neck, and it put you in pain too.”

“No, it didn't,” Inuyasha replied tersely. Kagome scowled up at him, leaving absolutely no chance of an argument otherwise. Inuyasha held his ground against her for several moments before snapping his gaze away. It wasn’t quite an admission of defeat, but it was close. “Just forget about it, Kagome,” he huffed.

The sudden change in the hanyou's mood at the mere mention of that crystal put Kagome on edge. “Why should I?” she argued. “This thing has the power to hurt you. I'm not just going to forget about it!”

Inuyasha growled under his breath, the effort it was taking not to snap building tension in his shoulders. “Forget about it.” he repeated. “There are plenty of things that can hurt demons, humans, spirits, _anything_. There's a weapon for everyone.”

Kagome averted her eyes to the damp grass, chewing at her bottom lip. He was right, but she _hated_ it. With all they'd seen, and all they'd been through, why should she get hung up on it? There were more powerful weapons out there that could do any of them a thousand times more damage. That was the problem though. She knew that perfectly well, and yet she still couldn't forget that one pale crystal, some primordial fear in her stirring up just at the thought of it. It was just one stone, she told herself. One stone, in a village far from them now. It was nothing to lose a night of sleep over. “Fine,” she gave up, looking back up at the hanyou - only to find his attention diverted elsewhere. She followed his gaze to a thicket of bushes across a bubbling creek, where quiet whimpers and whines muted in the branches.

Inuyasha leapt over the creek and approached the bush, pulling back the branches to see what was inside. Kagome followed closely behind, tip toeing her way over the rocks on the creekbed, the hem of her hakama dipping into the muddy water. “What is it?”

Inuyasha's hand shot out to keep her from getting too close, eyes never straying from the bush. Catching onto his body language, Kagome made no protest, but managed to peek over his shoulder. Two dogs sat huddled in the thick undergrowth, one laying on its side while the other curled around it protectively, baring its teeth up at them in a threatening growl.

“Inuyasha...” Kagome began, her voice heavy with pity. “It's hurt.” The collapsed dog's fur was matted with dried blood and dirt, it's front left paw hanging limp and swollen. “We have to help it.”

Inuyasha groaned under his breath, bu could find no reason to deny her. “Okay, okay, just move back,” he sighed, nudging her farther back behind him.

Kagome stared at him in confusion, but obeyed regardless, backing up a few steps so she could watch from a distance. The feral dog turned and snarled at the movement, turning its aggression toward Kagome. Inuyasha sidestepped into its view of her, chest tense and ears high. The dog redirected its aggression to him, mirroring his body language. Long moments of silence filled only by low snarling passed before Inuyasha moved again, turning his body sideways and lowering down on his haunches. The dog reacted only by barking in warning. Slowly, Inuyasha crept toward them, crouched side steps taking an easy pace as the dog's demeanour began to shift. Kagome held her breath as she watched the exchange. The dog began to pace around its injured companion, walking hesitantly between it and Inuyasha. When it approached him, Inuyasha stilled and held out his hand, allowing the dog to sniff his palm. With one whine from the dog, its entire demeanour shifted. The dog lowered its tail and stepped out of the way, allowing Inuyasha to carefully pick up its companion. Hefting it into his arms, he turned around to find Kagome staring at him. “What?”

“How did you do that?” she asked in genuine interest.

Inuyasha shrugged, looking down at the once vicious dog now standing relaxed at his side. “I just told him to calm the hell down so I could help her.”

“You didn't say anything.”

Inuyasha quirked a brow. “What, did you expect me to bark at him?” When Kagome took a moment too long to answer, he rolled his eyes. “It's about body language, stupid.”

“Well, forgive me for not speaking Dog,” Kagome pouted.

Rolling his eyes again, Inuyasha began to make his way back toward the creek, one dog in his arms and the other trotting along at his side. Now that they were out of the bushes and in the moonlight, Kagome could see them clearly. The male's coat was mostly a salt and pepper grey, with black paws and a white chest, while the female, for what she could see through the blood and grim, was a darker tan. Breaking off from Inuyasha for the moment, the male galloped toward Kagome and charged her, tail and ears high. Seeing this Inuyasha stepped right in front of her and reached down to sharply nip the dog on the neck with his fingers. The dog's demeanor changed again, calming down and taking a few steps back. Kagome stood on her toes and rested her chin on the hanyou's shoulder to look down at the dog, who now sat patiently in front of them. “What did you tell him that time?”

Though Inuyasha quirked a brow at her, he didn’t shrug her off. “He wasn't sure about you,” he explained. “I told him to back off. That you’re- uh... you’re with me.” Inuyasha cleared his throat, adjusting the injured dog in his arms as he turned back toward the creek. “Let’s head back.”

His slip didn't go unnoticed by Kagome, but after weighing the pros and cons of teasing him about it, she decided to let it go. The red tint to his cheeks told her that he was embarrassed enough on his own already. Following him through the dark back to the camp, Kagome sent periodic glances down to the feral dog trotting back and forth between them, sniffing at them in curiosity with all signs of aggression gone. Trusting that Inuyasha had shown him that they were no threat, she chanced to put her palm out for the dog to get a better sniff at her scent. The dog stuck his cold nose in her palm, giving her a few licks before pushing his whole head into her hand. Kagome smiled and scratched him behind the ears, watching his tail wag contently.

The moment they entered the small clearing where Sango and Miroku had been setting up camp, the grey dog stopped at the boundary of the forest and stood watching nervously as Inuyasha lowered the tan dog to the ground by the fire. Kagome looked between the grey dog and Inuyasha, who caught her gaze and shrugged her off, silently telling her not to worry about it.

“Do we want to know?” Sango asked from where she sat on the other side of the fire, gutting a pile of fish to cook.

“Inuyasha's a big softie,” Kagome smiled as she lowered herself down beside the injured dog. She'd kept everything she brought on the trip in a cloth folded and tied around her shoulders, the way Sango had taught her. Once she was settled, she untied it and laid it out, taking a few bandages and ointments.

Inuyasha scoffed. “You're the one who wanted to help it.”

“You're the one who speaks Dog.” Kagome fired back mockingly as she began treating the tan dog's wounds. “That's a good girl,” she murmured when the dog whimpered and flinched away from the ointment. The grey dog at the boundary of the forest whined and paced anxiously at the sound, but stilled again with one sharp look from Inuyasha, lowering itself down with its head on its paws. Finally getting the reaction he wanted, Inuyasha nodded, allowing the dog to trot into the camp and plant himself right at his side.

“Quit following me around,” Inuyasha grunted as he crouched down next to Kagome, frowning when the dog did the same. The dog, in return, just stared back at him, huffed, and looked back at its companion.

“He likes you,” Kagome smiled as she rubbed a different ointment on the tan dog's paw and began to wrap it.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “He just knows I'm the leader here.”

“Are you, now?” Sango challenged teasingly as she set the fish on sticks by the flames.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Inuyasha smirked and held his head high. “Yeah, I am.”

“Alright then, you can go get your own dinner,” Sango shrugged.

The hanyou deflated immediately. “Alright, alright fine, but as far as the _dog's_ concerned I am,” he explained. “It like a... pack thing for them.”

“Is that what we are?” Miroku asked, helping Sango skewer the fish to prepare for cooking. “Your pack?”

There was that red tint to his cheeks again. Lowering his head in thought, Inuyasha stared into the flames. “Well... yeah. Kind of. I mean, it’s not like it’s a _dog_ thing, it’s just the same as... you know, your people, your...”

Kagome beamed at him, catching on to what he was struggling so hard to say aloud. “Your family?”

Inuyasha stared back at her, the redness overtaking his face before he could look away. “Uh, yeah. So, not _my_ pack, but my pack as in the pack I'm a part of... in the dog’s eyes, I mean.”

“That's such a nice way of putting it,” Kagome beamed, laughing as Inuyasha huffed and turn away. It was no secret that the hanyou got embarrassed over things like that, but when he found the courage to talk to them openly like that it never failed to warm her heart. “Alright,” she chirped, tying off the bandage around the tan dog's paw, “that should do it!” Reaching over to her cloth to take a canister of water, she opened it and poured some out into her palm, allowing each dog to lap at it. “I think... Jun and Kei.”

Inuyasha perked up in confusion. “Huh?”

“Jun for the boy, and Kei for this sweet girl,” Kagome smiled as she gently pat the tan dog's side.

“Oh, no.” Inuyasha shook his head. “We're not keeping the dogs, Kagome.”

“We keep you,” Kagome teased.

“We are. Not. Keeping. The dogs.”

“Regardless.” Miroku laughed, tossing a fish to the two dogs. “There's enough fish here for everyone. Eat up.”

The night drew on in companionable chatter, basking under the starlit sky and the glow of the fire. By twilight, Miroku and Sango were sleeping huddled together at the other end of their camp and Inuyasha and Kagome were laying on their backs staring up at the stars, while the newly dubbed Jun and Kei huddled by the fire.

It was quiet little moments like this when it really hit Kagome just how much she had missed the Feudal Era. Countless nights, separated from this world, she's spent with her bedroom window open trying to see the stars through the lights of Tokyo. Sometimes she'd even spend a few hours under the Sacred Tree, resting back against the trunk and trying to feel Inuyasha through their one last connection. She always ended up returning to her own bed, though. The nights were bitterly cold, and she couldn't feel as safe as she did with Inuyasha watching over her, even with her home just across the shrine. It was never the same, and after her time in the Feudal Era, she knew she never would be the same. Not after the freedom and fear she'd felt so deeply and without holding back. Those nights were some of the hardest to get through.

“Kagome?”

“Hm?” Kagome let her head fall to the side to see Inuyasha sitting up and refusing to make eye contact with her.

“That, uh... that thing you did last night,” he rubbed his hand over the back of his neck.

Kagome propped herself up on her elbows. “The massage?”

Inuyasha's eyes flickered hesitantly to catch hers, immediately tearing them away in embarrassment. “Yeah, that. Do you think you could... do that again?”

The uncertainty in his tone struck Kagome at an odd angle. “Are you still in pain?”

“No! No, I just...” Inuyasha trailed off, shrinking in on himself.

Kagome smiled as she pushed herself up. “You just liked it?” she finished for him. Situations like this, when Inuyasha let himself be vulnerable around her, were precious and few. She wasn't about to ruin that by stepping over the line and teasing him for it. “Of course I can do it again. Here.” Shifting herself around, she gestured to her lap, letting him lean back and rest his head against thighs. “If you liked it so much, you could have just said it. I don't mind.”

Kagome's hands slowly the ritual, squeezing along his shoulders. Inuyasha melted in her lap. “Yeah, well... I wouldn't want to make it too easy for ya.”

“Oh, heavens forbid.” Following the practiced motions, Kagome took her time at each step, making sure she could feel the ever-tense muscles in the hanyou's neck and shoulders easing.

“What about you? Does your ankle still hurt?” he asked.

“Nope! I'm fit as a fiddle.”

“What?”

She shook her head. “I'm fine.”

Chirping crickets in the trees and the crackle of firewood were all that was left to fill the night air, and for a moment, Kagome thought Inuyasha had fallen asleep. She'd have stopped to check if he hadn't opened his eyes again to look up at the night sky. The stars reflected in his eyes, golden irises washed in pinpoint lights. She could have drowned in them if a faint whimper hadn't caught her attention. Looking up toward the fire, she watched as Jun readjusted himself to curl around Kei, and began to gently lick at her face and neck.

“What's he doing?” she whispered to Inuyasha, nodding her head toward the dogs when he looked up at her in confusion.

Inuyasha glanced to the side and watched the dog's behaviour for a moment before letting his head fall back into Kagome's lap. “She's in pain, and Jun senses that so he's comforting her. It's grooming, but it's like showing Kei that he knows and that he'll take care of her,” he explained.

“Ah.” Kagome nodded, a slow grin blossoming on her lips. “You called them Jun and Kei. We are _so_ keeping them.”

“We are not.” Inuyasha grunted.

“Well, they seem to like us, so we might not have a choice in the matter,” she laughed, letting the sound trail off as another thought came to mind. Jun continued to gently lick and nuzzle Kei as she rested, occasionally nuzzling him back. “You seem to understand a lot about them...”

“Well...” Inuyasha began, furiously fighting down the colour on his cheeks once again, “sort of. I just understand the way that they think. It's kind of like how Koga runs with wolves, its just natural,” he shrugged.

“So, it’s the same with the Inu Yokai?” Kagome asked.

Inuyasha tensed beneath her hands. In a moment of doubt, afraid she’d overstepped a boundary, Kagome nearly removed her hands and apologised. She felt Inuyasha go lax again before she could react, however, and hesitantly continued massaging the base of his neck. “I don’t know, to be honest,” he replied, staring up at the embers flying high above their fire. “I’ve always assumed so, but I never really had much contact with them. There's a lot I still don't know about them. I was an outcast, y’know? Raised by humans with my mother. When she died, I was still just a kid. I went to my Father's people, and... they didn’t really want anything to do with me. So, everything I learned, I learned on my own.”

By that point, none of this was a surprise to Kagome, but that didn't make it much easier to hear. Delving her fingers into his hair, she began to massage his scalp and watched with satisfaction as Inuyasha crumbled under her touch. She didn't comment about how sorry she was that it happened to him, or how she wished people had been more caring to him; he knew. It wouldn't change anything. “Well, it sure comes in handy with Jun and Kei.”

“Kagome, we're not keeping the dogs.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Jun and Kei followed at their heels the remainder of the journey home. Kagome had been right about one thing - they didn’t seem to have any voice in the matter. If it wasn’t the other way around, Jun and Kei were the ones to adopt _them_ anyway. Inuyasha had spent the first few hours trying to shoo them away, tossing sticks into the forest in the hopes they’d get lost, and ignoring them until they’d hypothetically get bored and leave. No such luck, however. Especially not with Kagome feeding them little scraps of leftover food, despite Inuyasha’s protests. Hours in with no success at ditching the canines, Inuaysha crossed his arms over his chest and given in. He had then turned his frustrations to muttering about Kagome's habit of taking in strays - with a few mock glares at Miroku and Sango.

They made it back to the village around late afternoon that day, walking across the rice paddies in the golden setting sun. Kagome paused for a moment as they crested the meadow on the outskirts of the village, looking down the slope into the valley and the acres of modest homes and farmland. She’d never had the chance no reason, even since her return, to look down from this view and think to herself that she was home. Kei now pranced at her side, running ahead to take in her new surroundings and occasionally receiving a warning nip from Jun when she got too excited and started to limp. Kagome watched the exchange adoringly, but let them run off to explore the rest of the village when they parted down a different path. Inuyasha seemed to trust them enough not to cause trouble to let them go, and that was enough for her.

Eventually, Miroku and Sango went their separate ways as well, heading up the path to their home, no doubt longing to see their children. That left Inuyasha and Kagome to make their way toward Kaede's old hut - Kagome’s own home now. Pulling back the mat to be met with the empty room hit Kagome like a cold wind. Their journey had been a long distraction, but the painful reality of Kaede's passing lingered. The priestess' belongings remained untouched where she had left them; a pot against the wall, an open cupboard, her sandals sitting neatly in the dirt before the lifted wooden floor.

Kagome exhaled from the doorway, unable to take that first step inside. It felt far too much like disturbing a grave.

“I can’t even think of what to do with all her things,” Kagome said, running her fingertips along the doorframe.

Inuyasha said nothing as he moved past her and tossed a few dry logs from the corner pile into the fire pit. With one strong strike of flint against a steel knife, the sparks caught the kindling and the room was bathed in soft firelight. “You don’t have to decide right this second,” he said as the flames grew higher. “Not like there’s a time limit with this.”

Kagome nodded, finally slipping out of her sandals and stepping up onto the raised floor. Still, she couldn’t find it in her to sit down just yet. Standing before the fire pit, Kagome’s eyes traced the room. “It still feels like hers,” she murmured.

Inuyasha took a moment to respond, staring into the fire. “I know,” he replied.

There was nothing else to say about the matter - that it still seemed as if the old woman would come walking through the door to take her place around the sunken hearth was a mutual sense. It would take time to get used to. Kagome sank down beside Inuaysha, her head resting against his. “Are you gonna stay the night?” she asked, barely a whisper. 

Inuyasha remained entirely still. “Only if you want me to.”

Kagome closed her eyes and hummed under her breath, leaning further against his side. Though the movement was hesitant at first, Inuyasha gradually began to relax, and wrapped his arm around her waste. Nuzzling her cheek into his shoulder, Kagome sighed with a content smile, and simply took the time felt the fire's heat against her skin, the solid presence of Inuyasha at her side. In some ways, things were right back to normal, and in others, they would never be the same again.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Someone poured a bucket of cold water over her head.

Kagome shot up with a startled shriek, sputtering and coughing as she scrambled to orientate herself. Bright morning light glared in from the windows, a cool breeze playing with the hanging mat over the door, freezing her dampened skin. A shiver shot through her entire body as the morning came crashing in. The hut she had fallen asleep to overnight was nearly unrecognizable - nothing had been moved from its place, not a single pot or ladle disturbed, but the walls were now lined with pots of new sprouts, dried herbs, and soil. Whipping her head around to take it all in, she whacked Inuyasha with a face full of soaking wet hair, effectively waking him up where he sat against the wall beside her mat.

The hanyou jolted awake, wiping at his face with his haori sleeve. “What the fu- _you_ again!” he growled at the intruder.

“You're late!” a familiar, boisterous voice announced from above. Kagome looked behind her to see the Priest Takuya standing over her with a dripping bucket in his hands. “You are _very_ late!”

“F-For what?!” Kagome shouted incredulously, wringing the water out of her hair.

“Your first day of training with me!” Takuya exclaimed proudly, setting the bucket down at his side.

Kagome groaned, but rose to her feet anyway. “Well, I might have been on time if you'd _told_ me it was my first day of training.”

“Ah! Rule number one. You must be prepared for anything, even the most unexpected of situations,” Takuya lectured as he crossed the room to scrutinize a group of plants. Taking two of the smaller pots, he tucked one under his arm and shoved the other into Kagome's hands. “Come! Today, you will learn about the ancient practices of channelling your energy.” Ushering Kagome out the door before she had the chance to respond, Takyua launched into a lecture about the delicacy of the plants, the life they held, and how her potential power was just a bud in the earth, droning on until he’d disappeared beyond the doorway.

Kagome managed to worm out of his grasp long enough to laugh despite the rude awakening and peak her head back through the door. She grinned sheepishly at the disgruntled hanyou. “Good morning!” she chirped as she was dragged off again.

Maybe things were going to change more than they had thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Inuyasha rarely ventured into the marketplace - though maybe “marketplace” was too strong a word. It was a poor village, and nothing remotely close to the bustling hubs they'd seen in their travels, but there was a small space set up in the middle of the village where traveling salesmen and local farmers could come to trade and peddle their wares. Not much, but even so, Inuyasha tended to avoid it for the crowds, the overwhelming scents, and shouting voices. Even in the past three years, when he'd come to think of this place as the closest to a home he'd have without Kagome, he tended to avoid the marketplace when possible.

That morning, however, he strode in with purpose, just as the first stalls began to open. It was a brief exchange with the merchant, and before long Inuyasha was leaving with a cloth-wrapped package tucked under his arm. It was a simple enough task, nothing to boast about, and to be entirely honest he felt a little stupid for how _relieved_ he was to get it over with. It was... domestic, almost. That word alone left a sour taste in his mouth. He wasn’t _domestic_. He was terrifying, and wild, and untamed, and that was _exactly_ why his chest flooded with warmth the second he turned around the bend and saw Kagome.

Approaching the priestess’ hut, he came upon a strange sight. While Jun and Kei rested under the shade of the nearby tree, sharing a rabbit they'd caught, the priestess and her new teacher sat cross legged by the garden fence, a flower pot in front of each of them. The sprouts they had started off with only days ago had now grown into budding little stalks, but were far yet from fully bloomed.

Inuyasha ducked inside the hut only to toss his package onto the lid of the trunk, before he strolled over to join them. “Whatcha doin'?” he asked, leaping deftly onto one of the fence posts and sitting on the perch.

Kagome peeked one eye open to look up at him, trying and failing to keep a straight face. “We're making the plants grow, Inuyasha. With our minds,” she said. Her tone said it all - she didn’t believe a single word that had just come out of her mouth. 

“Concentrate!” Takuya exclaimed, reaching for the branch in the bucket of water beside him. With a flick of his wrist, he splashed Kagome with the water in punishment, only serving to make her laugh again. Still, she obeyed, closing her eyes again to concentrate on pulling energy into herself and channeling it into the plant, smile never leaving her lips.Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh at her expense, finding himself on the receiving end of a pointed glare from Takuya. “And you! Stop distracting my student!” the priest barked, raising his hand to splash Inuyasha with the branch. The hanyou swiped the branch from his hand with little effort and snaped it in half, letting the pieces fall to the ground. Takuya blanched, staring at the broken branch before glaring up at the culprit. _“You_ are a bad influence.”

“Glad you're finally figuring that out,” Inuyasha scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Takuya scrambled to his feet. “I'll teach you to show a Priest some respect, young man!” he hollered, taking his water bucket and holding it over his head to pour on the hanyou. Inuyasha did not seem nearly as worried as he smirked and lept out of the way, flipping back and landing on the roof of the hut. Kagome, meanwhile, did not so much as flinch at the commotion. “Get back down here!” Takuya shouted up at the half-demon.

Inuyasha crossed his legs and rested his elbow on his knee, holding his chin in his hand. “And if I don't?

“Inuyasha, play nice,” Kagome chastised him, daring to crack an eye open to catch his gaze. 

Takuya turned around to address Kagome, the bucket still high over his head. “Back to your meditation, young woman. I want that flower to blossom by the end of the day,” he ordered. While he was distracted, Inuyasha took the opportunity to jump down off the roof, the ball of his foot landing on the rim of the bucket. He pushed off, leaping back into the air and effectively knocking the bucket over. Takuya yelped as the water dumped over his head, soaking him through his clothing. “Disrespectful youth!” the priest wailed, taking chase to the laughing Hanyou with the bucket still on his head. He grabbed the broken tree branch off the ground and wielded it at his newfound-foe. Inuyasha could have easily outrun him, but jumped around and dodged every pitiful swipe. The two of them ran in circles around the garden, hut, and through the street, Takuya shouting in frustration and Inuyasha egging him on. Jun and Kei soon joined in on the fun, barking and galloping at their heels. All the while, Kagome sat perfectly still and tried to finish her meditation; but even she could only handle so much.

A demonic aura approaching the village finally gave her an excuse to open her eyes, looking up to see a familiar silhouette descending from the sky. Kagome smiled to herself, stretching her arms high over her head and rising to her feet. “Okay, I think that's enough for one day, “she sighed to herself as she shifted her attention to Inuyasha and Takuya still scrambling around in circles. “Inuyasha!” she called out to him. “Your brother is here!”

Inuyasha immediately skidded to a stop, eyes snapping up to the sky. Takuya ran up from behind, prepared to whack the hanyou over the head with his branch, when Inuyasha reached out behind him without looking and pushed the bucket down over his face. The priest falling to the ground and struggling to get the bucket off his head went completely ignored as Inuyasha walked to the middle of the street, where Sesshomaru was just touching down. Au-Un descended right behind him, carrying Rin on his back.

Kagome made her way to his side, beaming as Rin scrambled off the creature's back and skipped over to her. “Kagome!” she cheered, throwing her arms around Kagome’s waist.

“Welcome back, Rin!” Kagome returned the embrace. “I hope you enjoyed your time with Sesshomaru.”

“Oh, I did! We traveled to the Palace of My Lord's Mother, and then we went to the ocean where we saw the strangest ships, and I found this sea shell!” the girl rambled on, taking a shell the size of her palm out of her kimono.

“It's so pretty!” Kagome smiled, running her hand over the glinting surface, polished carefully by Rin's kimono sleeve. “Oh, Rin I want you to meet...” she stopped short, glancing back over her shoulder to see Takuya still struggling to get the bucket off his head. “One moment.”

With Kagome stalking off to help the man squirming on the ground, Rin left the shouts of _“Hold still!”, “It's stuck!”, “You're just pulling it off wrong!”_ , behind her and returned to her Lord's side. Tucking her shell back into her kimono, she clamped her hands behind her back and smiled up at Sesshomaru. “Won't you stay a while, my Lord?”

“Not this time, Rin,” Sesshomaru replied as he looked down on her. “You will stay here then?”

“Yes, my Lord,” she nodded. Inuyasha watched the exchange from a distance, recalling the first time Sesshomaru had left Rin behind. It had been in the days after defeating Naraku when Sesshomaru had told Rin in no uncertain terms that she was to stay with Kaede and live amoung humans. Rin had been inconsolable, trying to cling to her guardian until he’d simply flown off without another word. It had seemed cold at the time, but looking back it had likely been the best way to leave. Each time he’d returned afterwards to see how she was adjusting, it had gotten easier and easier for her to allow him to leave. Rin had come a long way.

“Very well,” Sesshomaru nodded. The commotion behind them caught his attention, an irritated glower crossing his features as he watched his the priestess argue with an older man with a bucket on his head. Inuyasha finally rolled his eyes and yanked the bucket off the man's head, tossing it off to the side and crossing his arms over his chest as Kagome chastised him for being so rude. She looked about two seconds away from issuing that subjugation command when Inuyasha finally got the message and backed off.

Not for the first time, Sesshomaru must have second guessed his choice in caretakers for Rin.

“Woman,” he called, his voice cutting through the argument and commanding silence. “I leave Rin with you now. You are expected to ensure she has everything she needs.”

Kagome nodded with a reassuring smile, the stoic yokai’s demeanor having little effect on her. “Rin is in good hands,” she promised. Sesshomaru nodded and turned around to take his leave, only to pause when Kagome spoke up again. “Hang on, something's missing here... where is Jaken?” Inuyasha, for the first time, noticed that he was nowhere to be seen. Usually the little imp was clinging to Sesshomaru's side, or scolding Rin for something or other. It was unusual for him to be missing.

Rin, however, was quick to answer. “Oh! Jaken was given a task by my Lord to gather information on a strange item possessed a rather rude man we ran into on our journey to the ocean,” she explained. “He was ill for several days before he recovered, and Lord Sesshomaru sent him off. I do wish he’d said goodbye, I didn’t see him the morning he left.”

Inuyasha tensed. One shared look with Kagome confirmed that she was thinking the same thing. “Sesshomaru,” Inuyasha grunted, jerking his head toward the garden fence. The elder brother said nothing and made no acknowledgment, but followed Inuyasha away regardless.

“Rin,” Kagome beckoned the girl, sending a last quick glance to Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, “why don't you get settled in again? We can put your shell on the corner chest. Ah, and this is Takuya. He'll be finishing my training.”

After having regained his composure and kicked the bucket away for good measure, Takuya smiled down at the girl. “It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady.”

Rin bowed, looking back up at him with her ever bright expression. “And to you! Come on Kagome, I want to tell you all about the ocean!” she cheered, taking her hand and dragging her off into the hut. Kagome laughed and allowed herself to be pulled away, catching Inuyasha’s eyes one last time before she was dragged inside.

With Rin out of earshot, Inuyasha leaned against the fence, hands shoved in the sleeves of his haori as he looked out across the village and toward the east. “I don't believe in coincidences, Sesshomaru.”

“You have encountered it as well then.” Sesshomaru noted.

“Yeah, and it's a royal pain in the ass,” the hanyou sighed, lifting his gaze to the sky. “It’s called the Godstone. Whatever it is, I've run into it twice. With your encounter, that makes three possible people who possess it.

“Four,” Sesshomaru corrected. When Inuyasha raised a brow, the elder brother continued. “Rin had wandered off on the shore. Jaken accompanied her. At the Nagasaki port, a pair of soldiers had been overseeing a trade, and had used that stone to incapacitate Jaken when he and Rin were spotted. I disposed of them.”

Inuyasha nodded. “And Jaken?” When Sesshomaru did not speak, it was reply enough. Inuyasha exhaled, palming the back of his neck. “I think it's pretty safe to say at this point that there are more out there.”

“It's nothing more than a _nuisance”_ Sesshomaru spat, “but a nuisance I intend to rid of.”

Inuyasha scoffed. “Go right ahead.” Rin's giggling laughter and Kagome's sweet voice answering penetrated the walls of the hut, his ears flickering toward the sound. “I didn't think it was anything to worry about, but... now I'm not sure. I've got a bad feeling about it.” If Sesshomaru found cause to look into it, maybe it was more serious than he thought.

“I will be the one to destroy it,” Sesshomaru declared, finally looking his brother in the eyes. “You will not get in my way.”

Inuyasha shrugged at the challenge. “I've got better things to do.”

“Like spend your time playing human with your woman?”

Inuyasha growled in warning, hand twitching toward tessaiga at his side. He would have drawn it, if only to make a point, had Rin not run out from the hut skidded to a stop in front of his brother. He dropped his hand instantly and regained his composure, but remained dangerously tense.

“I almost forgot to say goodbye!” Rin exclaimed, bowing low in front of Sesshomaru.

Hostility toward Inuyasha forgotten for the moment, Sesshomaru turned his full attention to the girl. “Take care, Rin.”

Rin smiled and stood up straight again. There were never any embraces or final words other than simple goodbyes when they parted, and she was perfectly content with that. Leaving her Lord to continue speaking with Inuyasha, she turned and ran back toward the hut, where Kagome and Takuya were emerging again.

“Humans and Demons cannot share lives, Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru’s sudden utterance had Inuyasha whipping his head around to glare at him in confusion. The elder brother remained unmoved. “Half demon or not, you possess the longevity given to you by our father,” Sesshomaru shifted his gaze to Rin, watching as she skipped at Kagome's heels. “You will watch her grow old and die, while you remain young.”

“Inuyasha!” Kagome called. She held a shallow basket tucked under her arm, kimono sleeve pushed out of the way. “We're going to look for flowers in the forest, come with us!”

“Y-Yeah, in a minute,” Inuyasha responded, startled and confused by his brother's behaviour. “Where the hell is this coming from, Sesshomaru?”

Sesshomaru let his eyes linger on the girl before shifting back to the hanyou. “All of this, your life here, is nothing more than a convenient distraction, Inuyasha. You know this. You will watch her die, or you will share the same fate as our father.”

Inuyasha snarled. “Is that a threat?”

“It is a fact. And a warning,” Sesshomaru turned his back on Inuyasha. “I will not have another meaningless death disgrace the Inu Yokai.”

Inuyasha slowly stood straight again. “And since when am I part of the Inu Yokai?”

Sesshomaru didn't respond. After a prolongued pause, he crouched down and leapt into the sky, soaring into the clouds and soon out of sight with Au-Un trailing behind him. A roar echoed off the surrounding mountains, a great white cloud shifting into the shape of a dog's head above them.

“Wow, what a show off,” Kagome commented as she came to stand beside the hanyou, shielding her hand over her eyes as she looked up. “Well, are you coming?”

“Alright, alright, impatient woman,” Inuyasha rolled his eyes, his voice lacking conviction.

Kagome picked up on it immediately. “Something wrong?”

“Nothing,” Inuyasha grunted. “He just really gets under my skin.”

Kagome shrugged, balancing her basket on her hip. “Siblings will do that to you. Sota developed a real attitude the past year, thinking he was a big tough guy now that he’s hit his growth spurt, but I always managed to knock him down a few pegs.”

“Yeah... not sure if it's the same thing, but I get it,” Inuyasha huffed

“Okay, it’s not _exactly_ the same, but you get my point,” Kagome mumbled. “Okay. Rin! Come on! Maybe later we can stop by Miroku and Sango's place.”

Rin brightened at the idea. “Oh, I’d love that! I haven’t seen the twins or Mamoru since before I left. I’m sure the girls would love to hear about the ocean!”

Kagome laughed. “I’m sure they would, too.” Reaching down to take Inuyasha’s hand, she gave him a gentle tug toward the path, nudging him playfully with her shoulder.

The smile Inuyasha tried to put on felt false even to him. He could see it in Kagome’s eyes, the moment he didn’t nudge back and she realised that something really was weighing heavily on his mind. In a quick attempt to cover, Inuyasha gave her hand a light squeeze and let go. “You two go ahead,” he said. “I’ll follow in a minute.’

“Are you sure?” Kagome frowned.

“Yeah. Just gonna... fill some water canteens. It’s getting hot out.”

He could tell just from one look alone that Kagome didn’t believe a word of the bullshit coming from his mouth. Inuyasha didn’t even believe it. Still, he was eternally grateful that she didn’t push it for once, and let the matter go. Even if she had wanted to argue, she wouldn’t have had the chance. Rin was already tugging on her sleeve, pulling her toward the meadow beyond the village. Inuyasha watched the two of them go, disappearing around the bend in the path, with Jun and Kei following not far after.

“Wait!” the voice of the new priest shouted from behind him. Inuyasha looked back to find Takuya waving his arms after Kagome and Rin, trying in vain to call them back. “You haven’t finished your training today!”

“Better to give it a rest, old man,” Inuyasha grunted. “There’s no changing her mind once she’s set it on something, believe me.”

“So I’m beginning to see,” Takuya sighed, arms dropping back to his side. He turned his ire toward the hanyou. “Well, since _you_ are still here, perhaps you would be so kind as to help an “ _old man_ ” clean up? Since my student has run off.”

“Can’t say I blame her, sitting over a pot of dirt for hours,” Inuyasha fired back, his mood returning with a rye smirk. Being that he was so _generous_ though, and certainly not because he was still trying to sort out his encounter with his brother, Inuyasha gave in. He stooped down to pick up the forgotten plants, laying scattered in front of the garden fence. As his hand paused over Kagome's pot, his eyes widened. The young blossom of a bellflower was just beginning to bloom on its sprout, hanging onto its stem for dear life. Inuyasha gingerly picked up the clay pot, staring down at the fragile flower. Behind him Takuya continued on entirely unaware. “Maybe she was just getting distracted,” he murmured.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It wasn't long after Inuyasha joined Kagome and Rin that the young girl Rin off. She had a tendency to go wherever her mind took her. Jun and Kei immediately took a liking to her, trotting off on her trail and leaving Inuyasha and Kagome lounging in a flowerbed on the hillside meadow. Beams of sunlight broke through the sparse few clouds passing overhead, pushed along by the breezes rolling through. Kagome had pushed her arms through the cuts in her kimono sleeves and tied them behind her back again, complaining about the midday heat. At least Inuyasha had been right about that. Sitting cross legged in the grass, she picked through the wildflowers and tied them together in a chain, occasionally looking up just to admire the natural beauty surrounding them. Inuyasha laid back beside her, arms folded under his head and ears constantly twitching. She assumed he was listening to Rin, making sure she was safe farther into the forest. Restraining the urge to reach out and tweak his ears, Kagome focused back on the flowers.

“I was thinking I might try my hand at making sōmen tonight,” Kagome commented idly as she thread the flowers together stem by stem. “I’ll stop by the marketplace on our way home.”

Inuyasha, eyes still closed and content to laze away the afternoon, hummed in reply. “No wheat flour in the market today. Unless you feel like grinding it up yourself.”

Kagome frowned in disappointment, only to perk up a bit seconds after. “How do _you_ know that?” she asked, prodding his half with her toe.

Realizing his mistake, Inuyasha rolled onto his side so that his back was facing her, leaning on his elbow and propping his head upon his hand. “I just do.”

“Since when do _you_ go into the market willingly, huh?” Kagome nudged him again, nearly sending him tipping over onto his face. “What were you getting?”

Inuyasha waved her off. “ _Nothing_ , Kagome.”

Though Kagome’s curiosity wasn’t quite satisfied with that answer, she decided to bide her time for now. Whatever he was intent on hiding would come out eventually - Inuyasha was a _terrible_ liar, and even worse at keeping secrets. Focusing back on the flower chain in her hands, she tied it off into a loop and dropped it onto the snoozing hanyou’s head.

Inuyasha sat upright at the intrusion, glaring up at the loop of woven flowers on his head. “What is this?” he asked as he plucked if off.

“Careful, I worked hard on that!” Kagome laughed. “It's a flower crown. I was making it for Rin, but you looked so cute napping like that.”

“I ain't _cute,_ ” Inuyasha argued as sat up and dropped the flower crown onto Kagome's head. “There. Better.”

Kagome's cheeks tinted red, frozen in place with the flowers dipping in front of her right eye. She couldn't even think to formulating a response, trying to figure out if it was just her overthinking things, or if Inuyasha had just inadvertently called her _cute_. It shouldn't have been that big a deal, she wasn't _fifteen_ anymore, but her brain just didn't seem to compute that. Her paralysis didn't last long, however. Another breeze flowed through the glade, bringing with it a strong, unearthly aura. Kagome shot up, the pulsing energy tingling the hairs on the back of her neck.

Inuyasha picked up on her tension immediately, following her gaze to the forest, where Goshinboku's branches stretched over the treetops. “Kagome?”

“There's something in the forest... I don't kn-”

Inuyasha jumped to his feet. “Jun and Kei are barking.”

“Rin,” Kagome paled. Inuyasha grunted, reaching down to haul her up and onto his back before either of them could say a word. Shooting off down the hill, Kagome's flower crown flew off her head and fell forgotten to the ground in their wake. Her hands tightened on the hanyou's shoulders, the aura growing stronger the farther into the forest they ran. It wasn't long before she could hear dogs barking over the howling wind in her ears. Inuyasha skidded to a stop at the edge of the clearing, letting Kagome scramble off his back as they ran toward the tree together.

The aura had them both stunned still the moment they entered the space. Jun and Kei barked at the base of the tree from a few feet back, the fur on their backs standing on end, but not displaying full-on aggression; they were nervous. They had every right to be. Rin played under the shade of Goshinboku, twirling in circles as she sang with her companion, a girl about her age who sat on the roots with a piece of embroidered fabric in her lap.

_“Flickering Lanterns, floating in the sky  
Though we may part, this is not goodbye  
Flickering Lanterns, tell me not goodbye  
Till we meet again, our promise in the sky.”_

Noticing their presence for the first time, both girls looked up at them. Rin smiled and waved them over. “Inuyasha! Kagome!” she laughed. “Come dance with us!”

Kagome glanced between Rin and her new friend, the radiating source of the aura that had drawn them there. The girl appeared normal enough, like any child from the village. However, there was some internal part of Kagome that could see the truth. She wasn't really _there_.

Inuyasha went rigid beside her. “That's...”

The girl looked up at them, her unruly hair falling back to reveal a patch of cloth tied over her right eye. “Sister!” she cheered, scrambling off the roots and racing across the clearing toward Kagome.

Kagome took a step back, watching as the spirit threw her arms open to her and disappeared the moment they came in contact. A strong gust of wind replaced the embrace, nearly forcing her back another step. Kagome's eyes snapped up to Inuyasha's, the understanding heavy in their gaze. “Kaede...” Kagome breathed.

Rin slowly stilled as she watched her friend disappear in the shadow of the tree's branches. Jun and Kei immediately calmed, sitting calm and on alert beside her. In her confusion, Rin looked up to Kagome and Inuyasha for answers.

Answers that, evidently, they didn’t have. Kagome sighed, sparing another glance toward the roots of the Sacred Treed. “Let's go, Rin,” she held out her hand to the girl, offering no other explanation. She was still reeling from the realization herself, and she didn't want to upset the girl. Glancing up at Inuyasha, she shook her head, silently telling him not to say anything about Kaede. If her spirit was lingering around the tree, this likely wouldn't be the last they'd see of her. Why her spirit was lingering, they couldn’t say, but it was an issue they could figure out another day. Inuyasha nodded, folding his arms in his haori sleeves as Rin took Kagome's hand and swung it between them.

“That certainly was strange. I had no idea she was a spirit,” Rin commented, looking back over her shoulder to wave the dogs along with them. “She had a lovely voice though, and that song was so beautiful.” Letting go of Kagome's hand, Rin skipped ahead of them and sang to Kei as she trotted after her.

_“Flickering Lanterns, carried down the stream  
Things are not always as they seem  
Flickering Lanterns, broken at the seem  
Heed the warning, drowning in the stream.”_

“Lanterns...” Kagome mused, glancing up at Inuyasha as a thought came to mind. “Inuyasha, when you went to the market today...”

“I was buying materials,” Inuyasha answered eyes fixed on the path ahead, “to make lanterns.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_A crack of thunder._

_Some ethereal force tipped her over the edge, and suddenly, Kagome was falling. Voices shouting after her echoed off the cliff, overpowered by the roar of Inuyasha calling her name. The orange cliff rose above her as she fell through open air toward the beach below. The sky was burning in gold and blood red, clouds pitch black. The Moon eclipsed the Sun and set itself on fire, and all the while she was_ falling _._

_A glint of light from the top of the cliff flashed down at her as a figure leapt over the edge, falling faster and faster toward her. Inuyasha, tessaiga outstretched to give him more weight, had jumped after her. Slowly, he fell closer to her, the golden light in his eyes eclipsing like the Moon to the Sun. His hair became dark. Kagome realized in a panic that he was human; both of them human as they fell to the shore below. Inuyasha wrapped his arm around her waist, curling around her and holding her body flush against his. He whispered something in her ear, his voice swallowed by the eclipse drawing in all sound._

Kagome’s eyes flew open before they hit the ground. She lurched up from her sleeping mat, a scream caught in her throat. Firm hands held onto her shoulders. In pure, distraught instinct, she fought against them, struggling in defence until she realized that Inuyasha hovered before her, eyes wide and ears flat against his head. “Kagome - hey, hey, Kagome, it was just a nightmare!”

Kagome heaved for breath, staring up at Inuyasha with wide and fearful eyes. “The- the eclipse, Inuyasha, the eclipse, you jumped after me!” she babbled, one foot still in the surreal reality of her nightmare.

“It was just a nightmare. Kagome, _breathe_.”

Out of breath and heart still racing, Kagome nodded, her mind gradually freeing her from a blind panic as she began to wake up. Inuyasha’s hair was white. That was all she needed to know to calm down. Kagome slumped against him, burying her face against his shoulder to find comfort in his warmth. Taking a moment to get over his hesitation, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her. “What the hell was that about?” he sighed.

“Sorry....” She mumbled, her apology muffled by the fabric of his haori.

“Don't be stupid, you don't have to apologize.”

It was the middle of the night. The village outside their door was still in the dead of the darkness, but the rest of the world was alive with wind, crickets, and moonlight. They'd gotten back from their afternoon in the forest hours ago. Seeing Kaede’s spirit again had shaken them both, but over the course of the night it had gotten easier to put the thought aside, and they had ended up having a relatively normal evening. Takuya had come to the hut from his own neighboring home and spent the first hour trying to lecture Kagome until Inuyasha had gotten him riled up again. It had been _nice_ , and Kagome had laughed so hard she’d forgotten all together any sinister crystals or hauntings in the woods.

Looking back, Kagome had no clue what had triggered the nightmare. It wasn’t one she’d ever had before, but it’d felt so _vivid_ , she was still partly convinced she’d felt the humid heat and the wind rushing past her as she fell. Her throat was still raw from her shouting. Thankfully, Rin hadn't woken up. The girl slept like a rock.

Pulling back from the embrace, Kagome wiped at her tear-stained cheeks and gathered her composure. Inuyasha let his arms fall back to his side, ears still flat against his head. “Do you.... want to talk about it?” He asked reluctantly.

Kagome laughed through her lingering fear and shook her head. She could tell he was trying hard to be understanding, but it wasn't something he was much of an expert about. “No, I'm fine,” she answered, knowing the images of that nightmare would linger. It was something she could worry about later. “I'm sorry I woke you up.”

Inuyasha seemed hesitant to let the subject go, but with one imploring look, he allowed her her space. Kagome drew her knees up to her chest, combing her hair over her shoulders and brushing them through with her fingers just to have something to touch. Rising from the floor, Inuyasha crossed over to the woodpile, and plucked a small log. Kagome offered him a smile as he walked back. She wouldn’t be able to sleep for a while, not after that. It was a wordless reassurance from Inuyasha; that he would stay up with her.

He never got the chance to stoke the embers of their dying fire. A sharp crack reverberated through the air, quickly followed by a thousand more all going off at once. The force of it rumbled through the ground, radiating from east of the village. Inuyasha dropped the log back into the pile, and walked to the door, pulling back the mat door to gaze out into the empty night. “Thunder?” he frowned.

Kagome slowly shook her head, the very same sound still echoing in her head from her nightmare. “Gunfire.”


	7. Chapter 7

The fog was thick that night, but even so Kagome could see the faint bursts of light in the night sky from the far east of the village, silhouetting Inuyasha’s frame in the foorway. Each time, so similar to thunder, the low rumbling sound would come seconds after. Pushing through the mat, Inuyasha stepped out into what should have been a perfectly tranquil night. His ears twitched with each distant shot. Kagome rose slowly to her feet, still trying not to disturb Rin, as she joined Inuyasha outside. Inuyasha was tense, his face set like stone as he stared in the direction of the flashes. “What is it?” Kagome asked, stepping close against his side and threading her arm through his.

Inuyasha hesitated a moment before answering, his eyes never straying from the eastern horizon. “I smell blood,” he said. As Kagome looked closer, the distant bursts of light illuminated clouds of smoke rising up from above the trees. This was all happening miles away, with no chance of disturbing them in their peaceful little hamlet. Still, the knowledge of what it was sank into the pit of her stomach like molten lead. Inuyasha let her lean against his side, going so far as to shift closer when he sensed her unease. “Must be a battle.” Inuyasha grunted,

Kagome frowned as the smoke spread toward the north with the wind, her grip on Inuyasha's arm tightening. “Should we go stop it?” She asked hesitantly.

Inuyasha shook his head. “It's far enough that it won't reach us,” he reassured her, “but we should go make sure it doesn't spread. No reason we should interfere. If they wanna kill each other and call it _Honour_ , let'em. There are battles like that every day.”

Kagome let out a long breath. It was a fact, but one that even after all her time in this era she found difficult to swallow. There would be countless battles like this for decades to come as the Lords of the land fought for supremacy. It was history, and even with her foresight there was nothing she could do to stop it. However, reading it in a text book and seeing it for herself were two entirely different things. It wasn't until she heard another shot, followed by hundreds more in unison that she realized that wasn't quite true. “This battle isn't like the others we've seen before.”

Inuyasha looked down at her. “What do you mean?”

Kagome pursed her lips. “Let's go.” She was reluctant to leave Rin, just in case she woke up, but Jun and Kei were there to protect her. The night had gone completely still again, the eerie silence drawing a shiver up her spine. It couldn't mean anything good. Inuyasha nodded, crouching down so she could climb onto his back. The moment her hands clutched his shoulders, he was off running through the forest, a crimson apparition in the trees.

It was long before they reached the battlefield, a bare hillside of torn earth and littered with fallen men. Inuyasha hid them in a tree a good distance from the danger, but close enough to see what was happening. Two opposing armies stood at either end of the bottom of the hill, staring at the top in frozen awe. A third army covered the summit, armor glistening in the moonlight as it broke through the clouds. Inuyasha perched on the branch, keeping his arm around Kagome's waist to keep her balanced.

As they watched, a man in the elaborate armor of a Warlord stepped out from the frontline and rose his hand above his head. “My good warriors! Fellow men!” He shouted, his booming voice echoing off the surrounding forest and down the hillside. “I implore you! Put an end to your meaningless slaughter!”

Kagome gasped, eyes widening as she gazed upon the strange sight. Warlords rarely ever went into battle with their men, preferring to decorate themselves in fine armour for show and use their soldiers as fodder for a greater scheme. If that weren't odd enough, this Warlord was trying to _stop_ a battle, instead of overtaking the other two armies. Just when she thought she had seen everything. The Warlord himself was young, nothing remarkable in appearance aside from his polished armor. Kagome couldn’t quite see his face from this distance. Still, one thing about him stood out from the rest; a pale crystal hung from a chain around his neck, catching the moonlight with every push of the midnight breeze. “Inuyasha...” she whispered apprehensively.

“I know,” he grunted. Kagome felt him tense, his arm tightening around her waist. The sight of the crystal alone was a sinister reminder of the power it had over him in the past - and even more-so what could happen if they were caught watching. “Be quiet, they'll hear you.”

Nodding without argument, Kagome turned her focus back to the battle, waiting for her suspicions on its nature to be confirmed.

Neither combatants seemed intent on surrendering. The two armies at the far base of the hill held most of the dead and dying, littered about the grass, their war flags damaged and singed. However, it was the third army on the top of the hill that was where the smoke and heavy scent of gunpowder came from. The young Warlord took another step forward and again shouted over the hillside. “Your battles are pointless, my friends! You sacrifice your lives for nothing! I beg of you, surrender to me! I am Lord Takeda Masao, and I promise you a free life in a world the Gods will smile upon! I vow to cleanse this land, if you will but lend me your hands! Put away your weapons!”

The name instantly struck a cord in Kagome's memory, the name Captain Yorino had proclaimed as his Master and the one who had given him the identical crystal. She glanced toward Inuyasha and locked his gaze, the understanding immediate and chilling between them.

Below, a shouted command from the army on the left of the hillside had the archers notching their bows and aiming the readied weapons at both their original enemy and the third Warlord's army. The right army followed suit. From the top of the hill, Lord Takeda heaved a great sigh, bowing his head in disappointment. “You had your chance,” he proclaimed as he stepped back into the ranks of his men. “End this pitiful excuse of a war!”

With that command, the hillside echoed in simultaneous clicks, the front rank of soldiers lowering their weapons as the rears stood ready. Lord Takeda raised his hand high, bowing his head as if in a prayer of mercy, before cutting his hand down through the air in one fatal slice. Deafening thunder erupted, as the soldiers aimed their weapons and the battlefield exploded in flashes of fire and smoke. Kagome never saw the outcome. Inuyasha pulled her against him and forced her face against his chest, shielding her from the oncoming massacre. He couldn’t hope to drown out the sounds of the massacre though, the cacophony of deafening shots, screams, and impaled flesh. Before the other armies could even retaliate, the front rank began to reload, the second rank took aim, and rained death upon them wave after wave. The moment Kagome began to tremble against Inuyasha, he tore his eyes away from the horrid scene. Cradling her in his arms, he took off in the other direction.

By the time they made it back to the village, the fog of war they'd left behind had cleared, and Kagome still hadn't taken her face out from Inuyasha's chest. The hanyou slowly set her on her feet just outside the hut, hands on her biceps to keep her steady. “Kagome?” he murmured, guilt choking his voice. She didn’t answer at first. “Shit, I’m sorry, I never should have taken you-”

“It’s alright,” Kagome heaved a deep breath of clean, smoke-free midnight air. Catching his heavy gaze, Kagome rubbed at her red eyes and turned to shield her face. “Let's go back inside,” she muttered.

Inuyasha didn't complain, pulling back the door and following her into the hut. While he tossed a few logs into the dying fire pit, she made her way to the window and closed the board that had been propped open, shutting out the world beyond. A soft glow enveloped the hut. Rin still slept soundly in her corner, curled up between Jun and Kei, her quiet breaths drowned by the crackling fire wood. Kagome pulled her sleeping mat closer to the fire, sitting on the soft sheets and hugging her knees to her chest as she gazed into the flames.

Inuyasha took a seat at the end of her mat. Even he was still shaken. “What... what was that? Was that Gunfire?”

Heaving a sigh, Kagome tossed a handful of kindling into the fire and watched the flames eat at it before it’d landed. “In 1543, on the modern calender, so not long ago from now, a Chinese junk ship was forced ashore on Tanegashima Island because of a storm,” she began, launching into the entire history. “Adventurers from a land called Portugal, all the way on the other side of the world, were on the ship, and they brought with them the weapons of their people. The Lord of Tanegashima was so impressed, he bought two, and then ordered a swordsmith to copy them. Within years, thousands of them were made, and it was a turning point of the entire era. Remember Jakotsu? When we first saw him, he had slaughtered an army of men carrying the same weapons, and brought one back to Renkotsu to create Ginkotsu's body,” Sse explained, briefly letting her gaze flicker from the fire to Inuyasha's eyes. “The weapons are called matchlock muskets. Guns. They use explosives to shoot lead balls at the enemy, faster and stronger than even an arrow. They're not all that accurate at this point, and there are flaws like how long they take to load, and being useless in the rain... but one day, guns will replace all other weapons, and kill millions of people all over the world.”

“Kagome...” Inuyasha started, “are you afraid of those Gun things?”

Her eyes fell back to the burning embers. “Of course I am. Just like I'm afraid of swords and arrows. They're weapons, it's only natural. But guns... I _know_ what's coming. I know what they'll become. And guns lead to things like cannons, and _bombs_.” She shivered. “Just knowing what they're capable of... yeah, I am afraid of them.”

“Well,” Inuyasha scoffed in an attempt to soothe her, “you don't have to worry about'em while I'm around, alright?”

Kagome knew that wasn't true. Even Inuyasha wasn't fast enough to dodge a bullet, nor could he slash it in midair like an arrow. She had no doubt he could survive a hit, but the pain and damage it could cause was immense. Inuyasha was resilient, but even he wasn’t immortal. Still, she smiled at the hanyou and nodded, putting her complete confidence in him. “I know.,” she shifted closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder. “Thank you, Inuyasha.” Sighing in contentment, Kagome gazed at the fire, the light dancing on the walls, on her face, and on an oddity across the room that drew her attention. Straightening up so she could see over the flames, she spotted a pile of paper and framework abandoned carelessly against the wall. “What's that?”

Catching the object of her attention, Inuyasha instantly tensed. “What's what?” he asked in horribly fake innocence. Kagome rose to her feet and tiptoed across the room, swatting Inuyasha's hand away when he tried to reach out for her. “Wait, Kagome!”

“Oh hush, you'll wake Rin.” Ignoring his plea, Kagome knelt down beside the discarded pile and picked up the framework, turning it over in her hands. It didn't take long for her to identify it as the beginning of a lantern, like the one she and Inuyasha had made just after Kaede passed. Only now, the materials were thicker, heavier, the paper coloured and the frame more elaborate. This one wasn't meant to fly. She frowned in thought, pursing her lips as she looked back at Inuyasha. “Y'know, I remember you saying this afternoon that you had a package of materials to make lanterns, but come to think of it, why exactly _are_ you making more Lanterns? I figured it was a one time deal.”

Jumping to his feet and stumbling across the room, Inuyasha hurriedly snatched the frame out of her hands and stuffed it into a trunk in the corner. “It's nothing!” he argued, only to blanch when he glanced back to find Kagome peering over his shoulder. “Kagome!” The trunk was filled to the brim with lanterns, some unfinished like the one he was trying to hide, others completed in a beautiful variety of designs. Kagome's eyes widened in surprise, unaffected by Inuyasha's anger and embarrassment. “Mind your own business!”he whined.

“What're you up to?” she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as she reached up to tweak one of his ears.

Inuyasha growled under his breath and pushed her hand away. After locking the chest, he stood and crossed the room to the opposite corner, where he dropped himself down and leaned back against the wall. “Sleep, wench.”

“Oh, _wench,_ haven’t heard that one in a while,” Kagome teased as she padded back to her bedroll. “I must have really pushed a button.”

“ _Sleep_.”

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him in retaliation, but complied regardless. “Goodnight, Inuyasha.” Met with only a grunt in reply, Kagome slipped into the restless hours with no hope of peaceful rust. The sounds of the distant battle echoed off the mountains late into the night. The gunfire stirred something deep within her, an instinctual apprehension she couldn't quite grasp that kept her awake. It twisted in the deep pit of her gut, sinking its teeth in and locking down. Eventually even Inuyasha nodded off, sitting cross legged with his head bowed against his chest. Realizing that sleep would continue to evade her if she continued to lay there and stare at the dying embers of the fire pit, Kagome quietly rose to her feet and padded across the room to the door. As she stepped outside, a powerful blast of gunfire rang off the mountains. Her arm subconsciously wrapped over her middle. However beautiful and warm the night was, her blood ran cold. Whether it was the distant massacre or the thunder of her nightmare coming alive in the broken night, she couldn't find peace.

 _Still_ , she thought as she looked up at the midnight sky, _at least the Moon isn't on fire._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

News of the battle spread quickly throughout the region. By the fourth day after, the entire village was buzzing with rumours and stories they'd heard from closer villages, passing travelers, and wounded soldiers, many of whom had limped their way for help. As they were saying, two opposing armies had began to fight over the territory, only for a third to appear and demand peace. When the opposing armies refused to retreat, the third army, lead by a young Warlord, decimated them both, giving those who did not wish to fight the opportunity to flea. Some were calling him a hero, others just another power hungry Noble. Regardless, the biggest topic wasn't the Warlord. It was his weapons.

“We heard them too,” Sango told Kagome that morning, as she sat under a tree breastfeeding her son behind the young family's home. “Miroku told the girls it was thunder, but we suspected that it wasn't.” Leaning back against the cool bark, she tucked her shawl over her chest and smiled up at her friend. “Thank you again for this.”

The sharp snap of wood splitting beneath an ax punctuated her gratitude. Kagome wiped her glistening forehead with her arm as she stood up straight again, returning Sango's smile. “It's not a problem. Besides, I've gotta learn how to do this kinda stuff on my own. I need all the practice I can get.” Eying the pile of logs that needed cutting behind her, she paused, dropped the ax, and subsequently dropped herself under the tree. “But practice can wait. I'm exhausted!”

“You've been working hard,” Sango complimented.

Kagome nodded, taking a swig of water from the bamboo canteen she'd left against the tree. “Gotta keep busy,” she shrugged as she glanced over the surrounding hillside. “And gotta avoid Takuya. I don't know how much more of his _“training”_ I can take.”

Sango cringed. “I'm sure its not _that_ bad.”

“All we do is meditate in front of plants,” Kagome groaned, sinking farther down against the tree trunk. “He says we're channeling energy into them and making them grow, but I think the sun does a fine job of that on its own. And that's not even the worst part! He dumps water on me when I'm sleeping, he makes me carry all of his bags when we go into the market, and he now he keeps trying to exorcise Inuyasha because he gets on his nerves! It's so irritating, and- oh no, here he comes!” Scrambling to her feet, Kagome forgot all about her exhaustion and dragged another log from the pile to the chopping stump.

Startled by Kagome's frantic jump into action, Sango's eyes darted to the direction Kagome had been looking in and found said priest making his way up the hill. Stifling her laughter at her friend's unfortunate situation, she raised her hand and waved. “Good afternoon!”

Climbing up the summit of the hill on the dirt path, Takuya waved back with a curt nod. “Good afternoon to you as well, Sango,” he replied pleasantly before turning his attention to the young Priestess. “Kagome!” Ax raised halfway over her head, Kagome froze and looked toward her teacher with fear written all over her face. The Priest made his way toward her, arms crossed over his chest. “Where have you been all day? And that is not how a distinguished young priestess wears her robes.”

Kagome lowered the ax in defeat, setting it down against the stump. Her kimono sleeves were tied behind her with her arms through the shoulder slits, as they usually were on hot days like this. She had gotten away with it up until that point, but evidently Takuya was less than impressed. “Well, you see, I've been helping Sango cut firewood. She has to take care of Mamoru, and uh.... I thought it would help me build up strength. The sleeves get in my way.” Technically it wasn't a lie. She just left out the avoiding him part.

Takuya stared at her for a long, agonizing moment, making Kagome wish for nothing more than to disappear on the spot. In the next instant, though, Takuya accepted her excuse and grinned proudly up at her. “Excellent idea! When you're done here, you can cut my firewood as well!”

Groaning under her breath, Kagome lowered her head and nodded. “Of course, I'd love to,” she grumbled.

“Keep up the good work!” Takuya laughed. With a few encouraging pats to his student's shoulder, he spun around on his heel, waved to Sango, and made his way back down the hill.

Kagome watched him go until he'd disappeared over the summit, glaring between the empty space and the ax “Well, better get started,” she sighed as she hefted the ax over her head again, only to fall back when she heard Takuya shout _“And fix your kimono!”_ from down the hill. Landing flat on her back, Kagome let out a yelp of frustration. With the sun in her eyes she began to pick herself up only to find the light suddenly blocked by a figure above of her. As she looked up up, she found a familiar silhouette stretching its hand down to her.

“Klutz,” Inuyasha smirked.

Momentarily stunned by the way the sun beamed behind the hanyou's head like a golden halo, Kagome took a moment to shake herself out of her reverie. “Gee, I've never heard that one before,” she grumbled as she reached up to take his hand.

Inuyasha pulled Kagome to her feet, helping her brush the dirt off of her clothes. “I wouldn't have to keep saying if it you could just stay upright,” he shrugged.

“It's not like I do it on purpose!” Kagome argued in a huff.

“Hang on,” Inuyasha grunted, reaching up to pull a twig out of her hair, “there. Now you can pout all you want.”

“I am not pouting!” she huffed, glaring at him for the smirk plastered on his face like he thought it was the funniest thing in the country. In the end, she was no match for his persistent grin, and eventually she succumbed, a smile tugging at her lips before she could stop it. “What are you up to?” she asked as she bent over to pick up the ax again.

“Nothing,” Inuyasha answered immediately. He crossed his arms over his chest. “How about you?”

Kagome eyed him suspiciously. He _was_ up to something, that much was obvious. He wouldn't be so defensive otherwise. The problem was, she knew Inuyasha, and when he put his mind to something there was no deterring him. They were far too alike in that respect. So, she'd have to play along. “Well, I was doing a favour for Sango, but Takuya turned it into training,” she hefted the ax over her shoulder with a hopeful smile. “Unless you want to help me out?”

Inuyasha shook his head. “Oh no, I'm not bailing you out.”

So much for that. “Thanks for nothing.” She mumbled. “Well, if you're going to make me do this training on my own, shoo. Leave me in my misery.”

The hanyou shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. “Fine, then. I'll get out of your way.”

“Good,” Kagome stuck her tongue out at him.

“Good,” Inuyasha mimicked.

Kagome huffed indignantly, hands perched dangerously on her hips and ready to scold him, only to stop short. The sound of drums drifted in on the wind from the valley of forest land below. She froze, staring up at Inuyasha to find his eyes already looking in the direction of their source, his ears flickering to the step of the men marching toward them. Without a word, he reached down and took her hand, squeezing it in silent reassurance. She squeezed back.

Under the tree, Sango readjusted her kimono over her breast and held Mamoru against her shoulder as she stood. Inuyasha snapped out of his daze long enough to turn her attention to her. “Sango, where are the twins?” he asked.

“They're inside with Rin,” she answered, stern gaze on the main road leading out of the village on the other side of the valley. Flashes of armour and coloured flags passed between the trees. Without another word, she turned around and ran toward her home, pulling back the shoji door to reveal Rin's startled expression.

The following conversation between young mother and girl was drowned out by the approaching drums, their beat pulsing through the earth as bright armour and coloured flags spilled into the village market. Inuyasha and Kagome watched with bated breath as the sea of villagers parted for them, shrinking back into their houses and lingering in the streets. “I don't like this,” Inuyasha growled.

Unable to formulate a response, too overwhelmed by the surreal sight, Kagome could only nod.

“Rin is going to stay here and watch the children,” Sango reported as she skidded to a running stop beside them, hair blowing around her as she gazed down the hillside.

Kagome looked up at her in uncertainty. Shouldn't one of them stay with the children? Sure, the dogs were there, and they could stop anyone trying to get up the hill, but it seemed more than a little strange for the option of one of them staying to be ignored. “Wait...” She started, looking around as the realization of what exactly was strange began to settle in, “where's Miroku?”

Sango clenched her fist, looking out toward the western roads. “He was supposed to be coming home from the Musashi plains today.”

Kagome's eyes widened, the implications driving a cold fear through her gut as she followed Sango's gaze. It didn't seem to sit well with Inuyasha either. Growling low under his breath, the bent down on one knee and let both young women climb onto his back. With the wind stinging their faces and the sound of drums racing against the beat of their hearts, Inuyasha carried them down into the basin of the valley.


	8. Chapter 8

Miroku had just managed to step out of the way before a stampede of warriors on horseback came trampling down the path toward the village. He raised his sleeve to his face against the cloud of dirt kicked up by their hooves, looking on with a growing sense of dread. Flags littered the sky, flooding through the streets as the disturbed dirt settled on the ground again. He waved a behind him to a family cowering in the doorway of their home, sending them back inside.

He'd first felt the earth begin to thrum beneath his feet a mile outside of the village. Seeing the brightly coloured flags flashing between the trees in the hills behind him, he'd quickened his pace and made it out of the forest path just in time to avoid being trampled. The village dissolved into a state of awe and silent chaos around him, families ducking into their homes and the braver few rushing to the village's centre to see what was happening. A nervous crowd was beginning to gather. After one look up the hill his family lived on to find that no warriors were making their way up there, he joined them.

“Miroku!” A man he recognized as Shiro, a village farmer who had helped him build his house, shouted from behind him. Shiro jogged up to meet him before meeting his pace and following at his side. “What do you make of their flags? Who are these men?” he asked, sending a worried glance behind him to his own family's home.

Miroku gripped his staff tightly, pushing on through the growing crowd. “I don't know. I have never seen them before, and their flags are strange to me.” he answered truthfully, his voice calm and controlled.

The small marketplace in the centre of the village had gone into ruin. Shopkeepers closed their doors and pulled down their blinds, fearing a raid on the goods their lives depended on. The warriors carelessly galloped through on horseback, others marking in obtrusive columns, paying no mind to any crushed carts in their way as they swarmed behind their leader. Miroku skidded to a stop and watched with his heart in his throat as a little boy stood within the rapid stream of horses feet hitting the ground and cried, too afraid to move. A horse headed straight for him, deaf to the Monk's shout of warning. In a flash of red, the boy disappeared, suddenly set on his feet beside his family's home. Inuyasha straightened up, nodding to the hysterical mother before turning his attention to Miroku. The two exchanged a knowing glance before continuing on their way.

The cavalry formed their ranks in the market centre, lines of stomping hooves driving out the population in cries of indigence and fear. Inuyasha and Miroku pushed their way to the front of the crowd forming around the chaos, met with the Leader towering over them on his stallion. Inuyasha growled low in his chest, baring his teeth up at the familiar figure in all his self-righteous glory. Captain Yorino met his gaze with venomous disdain, his lip curling at the sight of the hanyou below him.

Inuyasha's hand twitched to the tessaiga's hilt. “What the _fuck_ are you doing here?” he snarled.

“I have no obligation to answer to you, Hanyou.” Yorino spat, pulling up the reigns of his horse as his steed grew restless. Inuyasha didn't flinch at the hooves flailing wildly through the air, but crouched down in preparation to attack. Miroku's staff on his chest snapped him out of his mindless rage, pushing him back a step and knocking him off balance.

The monk didn't look at his friend, eyes locked on the Captain. “We simply want to know why you are in our village,” he explain, his voice dangerously controlled.  
Yorino's hand mirrored Inuyasha's on the hilt of his katana, not sparing a second glance to the Monk. “I have no obligation to answer you,” he repeated.

“Yeah? Because I can change that _real_ _fast_!” Inuyasha shouted. A flash of light burst from Tessaiga's sheath as Inuyasha pulled it free.

Yorino raised his hand high over his head, his pale crystal glinting in the light as it was yanked off its chain from his armour. “Go to hell!”

The sword fell from Inuyasha’s hand, untransformed.

The hanyou fell to his knees with a pained yelp, clutching his head in his hands. All sound drowned out by the roaring, pounding blood in his head, intense pain making it impossible to think, impossible to breathe. He felt hands on his shoulders dragging him back through the dirt, felt the vibrations of someone shouting in his ear, but the outside world was suffocating in his pulsating head and he couldn't fight through it. 

The wisp of a shadow dashed before him, deflecting the light from the sun behind his eyelids. Just as soon as it came, the pain disappeared, replaced with an agonized scream above him. Blinking through the blinding sunlight, Inuyasha forced his eyes open to find a blood-splattered crystal falling to the ground and an arrow through the palm of Yorino's hand. The Captain gripped his hand at the wrist, his scream tearing through his throat. A pair of red hakama suddenly blocked Inuyasha’s view, the notching of a bow and arrow disrupting the piercing shrieks.

“Yorino!” Kagome snapped as she shielded the hanyou. “I won't let you hurt him again. Leave our village!”

Gritting his teeth, Yorino broke the arrow in half and pulled it out in two pieces, raising his uninjured hand in the air. With a thousand clicks, the warriors readied their muskets and aimed them at Kagome. Inuyasha struggled to move, trying in vain to shrug off Sango's steadying hands on his shoulders. Kagome flinched but did not budge, her composure never faultering as she readied her arrow.

“ _Stop!_ ” One voice boomed from the endless crowd. a hand shot out and grabbed Yorino's hand by the wrist, and all movement stilled. The hushed crowd watched as a Lord steadied the reigns of his horse and scowled at the Captain. Inuyasha recognized him immediately as the Lord from the massacre days before. His eyes flickered to his men, surely enough finding muskets slung over their backs. The hair on the back of his neck raised, a knot forming in his stomach.

The Lord shifted his stern glare from the Captain and to the villagers gathered below him, his gaze softening as it landed on the priestess. Releasing Yorino's wrist, he held his hands in the air in a show of harmless intentions. “Lady Priestess, I beg your forgiveness and apologize for my men's behaviour,” he announced.

Kagome slowly lowered her bow, slacking the tension on the string while never letting go of the arrow. “We will only ask one more time,” she said, the ferocity in her voice. “What are you doing here?”

The Lord paused, his calculating gaze trailing over Kagome. He gestured toward the ground, creating a boundary of respect between them. All the right steps, diplomatic and cautious. Kagome nodded, her grip on her bow tightening. Carefully, the Lord slipped out of his saddle and off his horse, standing face to face with the crowd before him. “I am Masao, new Lord of the Takeda clan,” he introduced himself, his attention sweeping the crowd. “My men and I have come here in our conquest in the hopes of establishing peace in these turbulent times. Just days before, we stopped two armies from clashing, a battle that would have spilled into your village if we had not been there. We wish only for your aid in creating peace.”

“Bullshit,” Inuyasha grunted from behind Kagome, slowly pushing himself to his feet. A scolding fell mute off Sango's tongue as he stood, allowing her hands to slip off his shoulders instead of holding him down. The hanyou was pale, and his limbs trembled with each movement, but he glared at Lord Masao with every drop of venom he could summon. “What you did is _not_ called peace.”

Lord Masao's expression faultered, a glint of disgust flashing in his eyes. There was something more there - a deeper loathing that Inuyasha had seldom experience before in his lifetime. He knew what hatred looked like. He knew what distrust and prejudice looked like, when humans turned their eyes on a half-demon. This was something else, and just that glint of it was enough to set Inuyasha’s teeth on edge. He’d have called it personal, but he’d never met this man before. Whatever it was, it was powerful, and every infernal instinct in Inuyasha’s body put him on guard. Lord Masao’s brow lowered. “I gave those men a fair chance. That's a lot more than anyone gets these days,” he said, voice deadly calm. Turning his attention back to the crowd Masao lifted his head high and addressed them. “I do not slaughter, and I do not pillage. I believe in mercy and second chances for all those who oppose me and my cause,” he looked down at Kagome, all hostility vanishing from his face, “and I protect my people. I ask only for your loyalty.”

Inuyasha's lips curled. “You can take your idea of protection and shove it up your ass.”

“Inuyasha!” Kagome hissed, spinning around to stare at him. The warning in her voice was desperate. She hid it well, but she was _scared_ , and Inuyasha needed no other reason to press on.

Swaying on his feet, Inuyasha stuck his sword in the ground and leaned on it for support. “ _I_ protect this village.”

Lord Masao glanced back at the hanyou dismissively. “And what a fine job you do, I'm sure,” he drawled. Inuyasha snarled at him, a bead of sweat dripping down his brow. Sango pulled him back effortlessly, his body stumbling unsteadily until she drew his arm over her shoulders. His pride told him not to accept help, to refuse to show weakness in front of this threat, but his body was giving out on him. He knew he looked a pathetic mess, but damn if he wasn't going to put up a fight. Lord Masao didn't seem to acknowledge his resolve, though, turning his attention back to the village. “Regardless, rest assured that your village is watched over from the Seichi Castle in the North. I will send compensation for anything my Men may have damaged, and I hope you will accept my apologies. Here before you, I swear an oath to protect your village. We will start construction on a fortress higher up the mountain immediately, to ensure your safety.” With nothing more than a curt nod, the Lord remounted his horse and commanded his men out of the village. In a slower, orderly march, the cavalry rode out of the village and back into the mountains.

Yorino lingered behind the columns of men marching out toward the mountain path. His face was twisted in pain, skin pale, the detestation in his eyes as he glared down at Kagome nearly miasmic. Kagome met it unflinchingly, standing her ground in front of Inuyasha. With a rough jerk to the reigns of his horse, Yorino joined the retreating army.

It wasn't until the dust had settled and the village was still that Inuyasha couldn't keep himself up any longer. His legs trembled beneath him, and would have given out if Sango hadn't been holding him up. “Easy,” she sighed, grunting as she hefted him up. “We should get him inside.”

Miroku nodded, tearing his eyes away from the horizon. “Yes. Take him back to Kagome's Hut. I will go and get the children.” He locked eyes with his wife, and let them flicker to the empty path and back. “I'm feeling uneasy about everyone being separated tonight.”

Sango understood without further explanation. If those men returned with ill intentions, Inuyasha wouldn't be able to protect anyone. She just prayed it wouldn't come to that. “Alright. Kagome?” she called out to the Priestess.

Kagome snapped out of the daze she'd fallen into, staring after the glinting muskets on the backs of the warriors. With a startled jump, she whirled around to see who had called her name.

Sango's eyes softened. “We should get Inuyasha inside.”

“R-right,” she stuttered, stepping towards them only to pause when something hit the tip of her sandal. Inuyasha, struggling to keep his vision focused, followed her gaze down to Captain Yorino's crystal, laying in the splattered puddles of his blood. It looked like such a harmless thing, a piece of clouded quartz catching the sunlight, but there was something beyond its benign exterior that sent a chill down his spine. Kagome plucked it off the ground, watching it catch the sunlight as she turned it over in her hand. Inuyasha could feel it instantly, a buzzing that rang through his bones, a kind of purity he'd never encountered before. A sharp agony shot through his head, forcing a pitiful groan from his throat. Kagome tugged out a cloth from the sash around her shoulders, wrapped the bloodied crystal, and tucked it away in her kimono. “Let's go.”

The villagers were already buzzing about the new Lord, opinions clashing in excited chatter as they picked up the aftermath. The crowd that had surrounded the main square soon dissipated, allowing a distraught Takuya through.“Kagome!” the priest cried. “What on earth was that?”

“I'm not entirely sure.” Kagome replied honestly. “But that doesn't matter right now, we can talk about it later. Inuyasha's ill.”

“I am not,” the hanyou seethed, only earning himself a stern glare from the priestess.

“Who are you kidding? You can barely hold yourself up!” she snapped, her harsh tone slipping when she noticed his hands shaking. Scolding could come later, he needed help first. “Forget it,” Kagome sighed, taking the tessaiga from Inuyasha's trembling hand. The sword returned to its ordinary form the moment her fingers touched the hilt. Kagome sheathed it for him. Ignoring his half-formed protests, she pulled his other arm over her shoulder and helped Sango carry him back to her hut.

Inuyasha had little choice but to accept their help. He was in for a long night.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

By dusk, Miroku had brought Rin, Umeko, Sayuri, and Mamoru, back to the hut with Jun and Kei following behind at their leisure. The girls had been reluctant to return to the village, but with reassurance from Miroku they had agreed. Rin carried each of the twins in either arm as they passed through, the overturned cart wheels spinning eerily in the evening breeze. Umeko's hand curled into the fabric of Rin's kimono. She'd always been the more introverted and intuitive of the two, but her unsettled tension without fail travelled to her sister. Sayuri hid her face in Rin’s hair. “It's alright, girls,” Rin reassured them, her own voice tight as she looked to the mountains, where she'd seen the army disappear. “Those men are gone now. There's nothing to worry about.”

“Rin is right.” Miroku added, lightly rocking Mamoru against his chest. The light jingle of the rings on his staff echoed aimlessly through the village. “We’re just going to have dinner with Kagome and Inuyasha. You like visiting them, right?”

“I like Kagome,” Umeko said, bringing a small fist up to rub at her eyes tiredly. “She’s pretty. I hope she marries Inuyasha.”

“Nuh-uh,” Sayuri shook her head. “I’m gonna marry Inuayasha when I’m big.”

Miroku chuckled, smiling down at his daughter. “Is that so?”

Sayuri nodded resolutely. “Yeah. He’s super strong, and I like playing with him, so I decided.”

“Whatever you say, darling,” Miroku laughed. “But you must be well behaved and quiet tonight. Inuyasha isn't feeling well.”

Sayuri perked up, staring up at him with Sango's eyes. “How come?”

“You don't need to worry about that,” Miroku said slowly, as they came to a stop in front of Kagome’s hut. It was best not to try explaining the earlier events to them, lest their young imaginations try to piece together some horrible nightmare from what they could not understand. “All you need to know is that we're all safe, and Inuyasha is fine. He'll be back to his old, grumpy self in no time.”

“Can we play tomorrow?” Sayuri asked, oblivious to the pout she received from her sister.

Miroku laughed and reached down to pat her head. “You'll have to ask him that. But not until tomorrow, okay?”

With a nod from both the girls, Rin set them down on their feet and let them run off inside, watching as they stumbled to a stop just outside the door and shushed each other before tiptoeing inside. As soon as they were out of sight, Rin reached up and grabbed a fistful of Miroku's robe, stopping him from following them in. “What happened, Miroku?” she asked, her eyes troubled as she stared at the dim, flickering firelight from the hut window.

Miroku looked down at the girl, following her gaze and heaving a sigh. “There seems to be some sort of crystal that is able to greatly weaken demons. We've encountered it once before, and Inuyasha was subjected to its power. The Captain of that army, Yorino, used it on him. He says it was a gift from his Lord... but we encountered Bandits with the same crystal.” He explained. The monk shook his head. “It doesn't make any sense. Rin, you mentioned before that you encountered it on recent travels with Sesshomaru. Tell me, what happened?”

Rin let her hand drop back down to fidget with her obi. “I wanted to see the ocean. It had been so long since I had visited the beaches, and the last time I traveled with my Lord, we spent a day there. After leaving the Lady Mother, we went to Nagasaki. I was so excited, I didn’t think... I just wanted to walk along the shore, so I went off while Lord Sesshomaru was resting. Master Jaken followed me to the port, where we were spotted by a pair of soldiers...” Rin paused, her fidgeting now resorting to picking at her fingernails. “They thought he was trying to take me. They wouldn’t listen. When they brought those same crystals out, Master Jaken fell to the ground, overcome with terrible pain. Lord Sesshomaru must have heard me shouting, because he came right away and fought the soldiers away, but....”

Miroku frowned. “But what?”

“Lord Sesshomaru... he flinched, when they turned the crystals on him. His fists curled until his claws dug into his palms. He remained placid, but I _saw_ it.”

“It even affected Sesshomaru?” Miroku clarified in disbelief. Rin hummed in confirmation, her hands clasping behind her back. Dread settled in as a tangible weight in their chests. “Thank you, Rin,” Miroku finally broke the silence.

“What do you think is happening?”

“I don't know,” He answered honestly. “But whatever does happen, we will deal with it. Now come on, let's get inside. I think I can smell dinner,” he added with a smile, hoping to lift her spirits. Rin was such a lively girl, seeing her so troubled didn't settle right on her soft features.

Rin nodded, letting the subject drop for now as she and Miroku headed into the hut. Pulling back the doormat, they were instantly struck with how silent the single room was. The crackling fire, the light shuffling of movement, and Inuyasha's laboured breathing were the only things to penetrate it. The girls had flocked to their mother, already quiet and content as Sango gave them their dinner and set them up to sit in the far corner. Kagome sat on the other side of the room with Inuyasha's head on her lap, the hanyou stretched out on a futon as she massaged his head.

Sango looked up as Miroku and Rin entered, offering a nod in greeting and nothing more. She didn't have to tell them to remain as silent as possible, the heavy atmosphere did that for her. Kagome spared them a glance and a dismal smile, but her attention was soon diverted back to the hanyou in her lap. Her hands deftly massaged his scalp, running through his hair as gently as she could. Inuyasha's face remained tensed and covered in sweat, twitching as he struggled to breathe through the pain seizing every bone in his body. He lurched in Kagome’s lap, an agonized yelp caught in his throat.

“Shhh, Inuyasha, it’s okay,” Kagome tried to hush him, combing his hair back with her fingers. “It’s okay, I’ve got you, just - here, I know you don’t like it but you have to drink it, alright?” she said, willing her hand not to tremble as she lifted a cup of medicinal tea to his lips, the same she’d given him after the extermination. Inuyasha complied, if only by swallowing. He did not even react to the foul-tasting liquid. Kagome blinked back hot tears. She’d been trying so hard not to panic up until this point, but seeing Inuyasha in this state was wearing her down. “Nothing’s _working_ ,” she choked.

“Kagome.” Takuya sat by the fire at the centre of the room, looking over the flames at her. Kagome looked up at him with distress written in every worry line on her face. The priest watched the way her hands continued to work on the boy's head, before his eyes flickered back up to meet hers. “Lay your hands over his face.”

“What?” Kagome frowned, her distress only mounting with added confusion. Takuya offered no explanation, simply gesturing for her to do as she was told. Reluctantly, Kagome withdrew her hands from Inuyasha's hair and laid them just an inch above his face, palms down and her cupped hands covering his eyes.

“Good,” Takuya nodded, mindful to keep his voice down. “Now meditate as we have been with our flowers.”

Kagome hastily pulled her hands back. “I'll hurt him.”

Having expected that answer, Takuya slowly rose to his feet and moved toward her. “Why?”

“Its...” Kagome began, trying to anticipate what he meant, “It's pure, my energy is spiritual purity, it'll attack him.”

“Wrong!” Takuya proclaimed, only to cringe when Inuyasha tensed up at the loud noise. “Apologies, my boy,” he whispered as he knelt down beside Kagome, laying his hand on the half-demon’s shoulder. Clearing his throat, he continued in a softer tone. “Have you not noticed? The energy I have been teaching you to channel is different from your spiritual power.”

Distress gradually began to slip from Kagome's features, realization dawning on her. That energy did feel different, but until then, she'd always brushed it off as her imagination. It was a different flow, something that came from the air around her rather than within.

Seeing the light in Kagome's eyes, Takuya smiled and nodded. “It is the same energy you used to make your Bellflower blossom. Let your hands hover over him and just meditate.”

Admittedly, she was reluctant at first. It was something that didn't seem like it would do any good, too simple and too general to really help him. In the end, she didn't know why, but she decided to trust Takuya and take his advice. It was a pull, a force she felt in her palms, guiding her hands to his head and her mind to a deep state of calm. Every noise in the hut melted away, the crackling fire and Mamoru's occasional whimpers nothing but soothing background noise. Inuyasha slowly began to go slack against her, the tension built up in every muscle of his body slipping away. Kagome didn't know what exactly it was that she was doing, but if it worked, she wasn't going to question it.

Over time, she let her hands move where she felt they needed to be; over his temples, his ears, the top of his head, the back of his neck. With every position, she could feel Inuyasha's pain, not leaving entirely, but becoming manageable. She nearly held her breath when he opened his eyes and looked up at her through tired ambers. “Inuyasha...” she whispered, brushing his sweat-soaked fringe from his forehead. “Feeling any better?”

Inuyasha grunted in reply, his eyes unfocusing and refocusing on the young woman leaning over him with firelight flickering on her skin. “Yeah.

Kagome smiled. “Good.

The night was passed in tranquil silence. The fire slowly died out until only the burning embers cast any glow, and the occupants of the room seemed to go out with it. The twins curled up around their mother and baby brother on a mat in the corner, while Miroku slept sitting back against the wall beside them. Rin had herself sprawled out on the opposite side of the firepit, with Takuya retired to his own hut, and the dogs resting at Kagome's back.

Kagome was just about the only person not sleeping that night. Through the late hours of the morning, she massaged Inuyasha's head, neck, and shoulders, meditated over him, and even braided his hair while he slept restlessly. Her eyes burned and her head grew heavy on her shoulders, but once again she found herself unable to sleep. Ever since the night they'd witnessed that massacre on the mountain, she’d had trouble sleeping. The images of clouds of smoke and flashes of gunfire mingled with the screams of the slain warriors stained her memory until she could taste the tang of gunpowder on her tongue. All the while, passing visions of her nightmare from the same night, the eclipse and Inuyasha falling after her underneath a burning moon, twisted themselves into her mind's eye.

As she turned over these thoughts in her head, idly finishing the long braid in Inuyasha's hair and letting her hands fall back to her sides with nothing to do, she noticed for the first time that there was no more heat at her back. Two shadows in the doorway caught her attention. Jun and Kei stood in the paling moonlight, staring back at her. A long beat of silence passed before the two dogs turned around and began to walk out into the village. Kagome stared at the mat, swinging in their wake. _Do they want me to follow them?_

Whether her sleep-deprived mind was imagining it or not, Kagome figured that sitting there until dawn wasn't going to do her any good. Maybe a nice, long walk would help clear her mind, or that was what she told herself as she gently lowered Inuyasha's head onto her own pillow and rose to her feet. Padding quietly across the room, she made it about halfway to the door before she realized that she wasn't going to be able to see. With a quick glance back at Inuyasha to make sure he was still asleep, she opened the chest in the corner, and took out one of his lanterns. It was near impossible to see exactly what she was grabbing in the dark, and it wasn’t until she’d lit it with an ember from the fire that she realised it was one of the flying sort. She'd just use it to light her way and give it right back, she justified it. No harm done.

With her lantern in hand, Kagome stepped out into the brisk night to find Jun and Kei sitting patiently, waiting for her.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was just before dawn when the pain faded, and Inuyasha's senses returned to him. The first thing he noticed was the lack of warmth under his head. Pushing himself up, he looked around the hut to see if he could find Kagome. When it became apparent that she wasn't there, he had to force down the wave of concern that churned in his gut. He couldn't smell or even hear her outside, only the lingering traces of her scent long gone telling him she had been there at all.

Shaking his head to clear his mind of any fatigue, the Hanyou stood and followed her scent out the door. A cool morning breeze washed over him, ruffling through his clothes and the braid in his hair he noticed for the first time. Well rested and fully awake, he tilted his head into the air to catch the trail of Kagome's scent, only to freeze the moment he looked to the sky.

A single lantern glowed against the dawn, rising over the forest beyond the village. Cold panic squeezed his heart. Inuyasha was racing across the rice fields before the lantern disappeared into the clouds.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


	9. Chapter 9

Kagome had left without her sandals. Walking barefoot across the village, the rice fields, and well into the forest, she had barely noticed her mistake until she felt the dew-soaked grass between her toes. Kagome faultered on the forest path, looking down at her feet. The exhaustion seemed to catch up with her all at once, days of restless sleep and a night of no sleep at all finally compounding on her mind and body. For a moment, she debated going back, but before she could act on it, she felt something tugging at her hakama. Kei had the red fabric between her teeth, looking up at her through dark eyes flashing in the lantern's light. With a huff, the dog released her hakama and returned up the path with Jun, both of them looking back at her before continuing on. “Alright, I can take a hint,” Kagome yawned as she followed after them.

The dogs led her up the worn-down path and deeper into the forest, walking at the edge of the lantern's glow. Kagome could feel the Lantern's weightlessness in her hands, nearly slipping from her tired fingers a few times. Her sleep-deprived eyes burned, her vision blurring on the path ahead.

It was only when she thought she might fall asleep in the middle of the forest that she heard it; distracted from the noises around her, the sound of axes against wood and the snap of branches hitting the forest floor echoed off the trees. Kagome felt her pulse quicken. With frantic barks, Jun and Kei raced ahead of her, claws digging into the earth as they tore down the path. Kagome followed after them, fatigue of mind forgotten and fatigue of body slowing her down.

A deafening snap ahead gave her enough warning to skid to a stop before a tree fell on the path, kicking up dirt in a blinding cloud. The Lantern slipped from her hands, rising up and taking its light with it. Kagome feebly tried to catch it without success as it flew from her grasp. It was soon forgotten. Another tree was felled just up the path, disturbing the quiet of the early morning. Groping around in the dark, Kagome scrambled over the fallen trees and followed the sound of the dogs' barking, her breath caught in her throat. All around her, she could hear voices, men trading taunts and calling to each other as more and more trees fell. Even in the dark, with only Jun and Kei's barks to guide her, she knew where she was going. It terrified her.

As Kagome stumbled into the familiar clearing, she found her fears to be confirmed. With the pale moonlight finally piercing through the canopy of leaves, she could see the mass of men hacking at the trees with their axes, more men chopping the logs and hauling them into carts, and the horses neighing and stomping their hooves impatiently. No one seemed to see or take note of her until the dogs began nipping at the ankles of four men making their way toward Goshinboku. Their axes glinted, and Kagome's heart stopped cold.

“Stop!” she screamed, her voice echoing off the forest and silencing the snapping of steel against wood as the men halted to look at her. Kagome pushed herself in front the men at the Sacred Tree and yanked at the axe raised to strike it. The man she lunged after snarled and pushed her away, her back slamming into the trunk of the tree. Jun growled in defense of her, snapping at his legs only to be kicked away with a yelp. “Stop it!” Kagome shouted, picking herself up despite the bruise she could feel forming on her spine.

The man ignored her, raising his ax toward Jun. Even in the limited light, Kagome could see the blood seeping through his hakama and the rage in his eyes toward the dog that did this to him. Lurching forward, she caught the man's hand before he could swing it down. Kei stood protectively in front of Jun with her hair raised and teeth bared.

The man dropped the ax in surprise, only for his anger to be directed toward Kagome as he grabbed her wrist in a calloused grip, forcing her to let go of his other hand. “What the hell do you think you're doing?” The man snarled.

“Shit.” One of the other men spoke up, stepping far too close to Kagome than she was comfortable with. “Careful, she's the village priestess.”

Kagome's captor looked back at his companion. “The bitch that shot the Captain? I don't fucking care who she is, she's in the way.”

Frantically trying to pull her hand free, Kagome glared up at them. “You can't cut trees here! This forest is sacred!” she pleaded.

“Oh, we can't, now?” The man's grip on her wrist tightened painfully, drawing a pained gasp from her lips as he held it up high over her head. Practically hanging from his hold, she felt her shoulder pop with the exertion. “Because I don't see anything stopping us but a Demon’s Whore.”

Thinking quick, Kagome used his hold on her to kick him in the stomach, forcing him to let her go. He stumbled back with a grunt, letting go of Kagome’s hand and allowing her to stand up straight. Her glare was borderline venomous. “You can't. Cut. This forest,” she seethed.

As intimidating as she was trying to be, even Kagome knew that it was useless. The last of her stern composure all came crumbling down when the soldier stood up and his companions surrounded her, dangerous sparks in their eyes telling her that she just made a lot more trouble for herself than she was prepared to handle on her own. Still, she refused to move. The scar Inuyasha left on Goshinboku's bark dug into her back as she pressed back against the tree. A fist was raised, but a different fist came down. Kagome flinched, anticipating the blow before a flash of red and white intercepted it. With an enraged shout, Inuyasha jumped between her and the men surrounding her, striking out at those who dared try to hurt her. Landing crouched on his feet, Inuyasha slowly rose to full height, a feral rage radiating from him. “You heard her.” He growled.

One of the men stepped forward. “We're on orders from our Lord, we need this lumber for the new post,” he argued.

Inuyasha met his step forward, bringing them face to face. “You heard her,” he snarled. “ _Get out_.”

A tense silence drew out the confrontation, neither belligerents willing to back down; that is, until one more threatening step from Inuyasha had Lord Masao's servants shrinking back. With a growled curse, the man Inuyasha had punched rose to his feet and turned his back on them, walking toward the horse drawn carts at the edge of the clearing. “Pack up! We've got what we came here for,” he shouted, holding his hand to his nose. Even so, blood was already seeping through the man’s fingers.

Neither Inuyasha nor Kagome moved until the men were long out of sight, the dawn slowly brightening the sky and allowing them to watch the dirt clouds kicked up by their horses disappear. Inuyasha was the first to move, his shoulders slumping. Kagome’s hand brushed over his back until the hanyou turned to face her. With the threat gone, he wasn’t able to hide his weakness any longer. Still, he looked a great deal better than he had throughout the night. Kagome’s hand slipped down his arm, fingers interlacing with his. “Thank you.”

“You scared the shit out of me,” Inuyasha scolded her. “What the hell were you doing out here?”

Kagome shrugged. “I couldn't sleep, so I just went on a walk. I think the dogs were trying to warn me of what was happening,” she admitted. Her own fatigue was already starting to creep back up on her, settling deep into her bones. Inuyasha saw the change in her as the adrenaline wore off immediately. Scoffing under his breath, he let go of her hand, crouched down in front of her, and let her climb onto his back. Kagome shook her head. “Inuyasha, you’re not carrying me back, you’ve only just recovered-”

“Exactly,” Inuyasha interrupted, “I’ve recovered. I feel alright, Kagome. How long as it been since you've slept?”

Kagome gave in, settling her weight on his back, and nuzzled her chin against his shoulder as her arms looped around his neck. “About two days?” she cringed. Not since she'd seen that massacre in the valley, that was for sure.

Inuyasha sighed, hooking his arms around her thighs as he stood up. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“I don't know,” she yawned. “I didn’t think. How'd you find me anyway?”

“I woke up when I noticed you were gone, followed your scent outside, and saw one of my lanterns released in the forest, “he explained with a side glance to the branches of the Sacred Tree. Kagome followed his gaze up to find the lantern she had brought out with her extinguished and caught high in the branches. It must have been blown out by the wind when it flew too high and fell back down to the forest.

Kagome bit her lip and buried her face in the back of Inuyasha’s neck. “I'm sorry,” she murmured, “I used it without permission and I ruined it.”

Inuyasha shook his head and began walking across the clearing, back to the forest path. “It's not a big deal, don't worry about it. I only owe ten by sex days from now, and I'm done eight... or I guess seven, now. I'll just make another.”

Kagome frowned, momentarily forgetting her blunder as she resettled her chin on his shoulder. “You _owe_ Lanterns? For what?”

Realizing his own blunder, Inuyasha scrambled to cover himself. “Nothing, forget it.”

“Seriously, what are you up to?” Kagome reached up to lightly tug at his ear.

With a flick of his ear, he freed himself from her grasp and glared at her from over his shoulder. “We're going home, and you're going to sleep.” he chewed out.

It was a pitiful attempt at changing the subject. Kagome frowned but didn't complain, letting her heavy eyes droop closed of their own accord. “Home.” she sighed. “I like it when you call it that.”

Inuyasha faultered midstep, but for what reason Kagome couldn’t say. Her eyes were already drifting closed, tired and content for the first time in days. She pressed her cheek against Inuyasha’s shoulder, her face turned in against his neck to block out the oncoming dawnlight. Within moments, she felt him move again, taking his time to walk rather than run down the forest path. Kagome was asleep within minutes, a light slumber but better than the poor rest she’d gotten these past several days.

Dawn was finally breaking by the time Inuyasha carried Kagome down to the village and lay her down on her futon. Kagome resettled in moments, never once opening her eyes as she shifted to get comfortable on her futon. She had no idea of knowing how long it was, drifting in and out of sleep until she heard footsteps approaching her hut from outside. She could just barely recognize Takuya’s voice, muttering to himself as he stepped inside, and did not even have the frame of mind to anticipate a bucket of water as her wake up call. Either way, it never came. Moments before she fell into a deeper sleep, she heard Inuyasha’s hand closing around the priest’s wrist, and the light slosh of interrupted water dripping onto the floor.

Inuyasha’s voice was the last thing she heard. “Training’s cancelled today.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Within the week, Lord Masao's warriors had made themselves known in the village. Every day, the men would come into the village in hoards, interacting with the villagers, purchasing goods from the market, and never failing to leave a mess behind when their evening curfew came. They did end up building their post, a fortification on the outskirts of the village, but their lumber came from elsewhere. No one in the village knew of their deforestation on sacred land. Had they known, though, would have made no difference. Many of the villagers, particularly merchants and farmers, enjoyed their business and didn't mind the clean up every dusk. The village was thriving, and it was all thanks to the young Warlord and his warriors.

Miroku and Kagome overheard one such conversation as they walked into the village centre, returning from an afternoon spent maintaining the shrines. Kagome looked back over her shoulder as they passed two women speaking about Masao, the basket on her hip nearly slipping with her inattention. “They talk about them like they're saviours,” she sighed. As rude as she knew she probably sounded, she couldn't help but resent the warriors; not least after what she'd seen of them.

“They _are_ bringing good prosperity to the village,” Miroku reasoned, though there was no mistaking the tension in his voice. “I suppose people have every right to enjoy the benefit.”

“Why don't we just build them a monument, then,” she grumbled.

Miroku tried not to laugh and failed. “Bitterness is unbecoming on you, Kagome.”

Kagome playfully glared up at him. “I'll be as bitter as I please... oh, nevermind.” She shook her head with a sigh, stretching out her sore and bruised back. “I just want to pick up my incense, bring it back to the shrine, and finish off the day with some peace.” Of course, that couldn't happen until the warriors returned to their post, but she didn't need to vocalize it. They both knew.

With their business in the market finished as quickly as possible, Miroku and Kagome started on the path back to the quieter streets, the incense rolling freely at the bottom of her basket. The noon day sun beat down on them, cut only by the heavy breeze rolling in off the fields. As beautiful as the day was, specks of dark clouds loomed over the distant mountains. Kagome’s attention drifted naturally down the mountain, wandering around the village. The last thing she had expected was to be drawn to a bright flash of red coming toward them from far down the street. Inuyasha was heading in their direction, and front the looks of it, hadn’t spotted either her or Miroku just yet. Under each arm, the hanyou carried an assortment of brilliantly coloured lanterns of different kinds. Curiosity peaking, Kagome immediately darted off the road, diving into a nearby bush.

“Looks like the typhoon season may begin early this year,” Miroku commented idly. “ What do you think, Kagome?” He stopped, noticing for the first time that there were no more footsteps following beside him. “Kagome?”

Kagome’s suddenly shot out of the bushes on the side of the path, grabbed his robes and yanked him through the branches, forcing a yelp of surprise as he fell. His staff clattered into the grass, and he’d barely hard time to reach for it before another hand was pulling him down. Miroku recovered, shaking the twigs from his hair. “Kagome! What are you doing?” He complained.

“Shhhh!” Kagome immediately hushed him with a finger to her lips. “Look!” she whispered. Pushing two branches apart, Kagome pointed through the opening to reveal Inuyasha walking straight into the marketplace. He raised his brow and turned back to Kagome, obviously not getting the big deal. Catching his expression, she explained. “He's been acting so weird about those lanterns lately, and he won't tell me what's going on.”

“Hence, hiding in the bushes,” Miroku mumbled, picking more leaves from his hair.

Kagome cringed. “Sorry,” she whispered,“but he knew I was spending the afternoon with you, and it'd look suspicious if you stayed out there and pointed me out hiding in the bushes.”

“You really need to work on your subtlety,” he sighed, but didn't complain any further. In spite of his complaining, his own curiosity had been ignited, and he watched through the bushes with Kagome as Inuyasha approached a cart in the market square. After a few traded words, he handed the merchant all of his lanterns, and in return he was given a small sack that jingled as it was dropped into his palm. The merchant bowed to him, but Inuyasha was already walking away, stuffing the sack into his haori.

“Is he selling them?” Kagome whispered to the Monk as she let the branches fall back into place.

Miroku turned to Kagome with a thoughtful nod. “That's what it looks like. I wonder how long he's been doing this. And what is he doing with the money?” he mused.

“I don't know,” Kagome pouted, peeking out from the bushes again to see if she could catch sight of the Hanyou. “He's been trying to hide them in Kaede's trunk, but the day Rin got back, he came right out and said that he went to the market to buy materials to make lanterns. If he's trying to not look suspicious, he's not doing a very good job.”

“What are you two doing down there?”

Kagome and Miroku jumped, whirling around to find Sango standing behind them with Mamoru on her back and the twins at her sides, staring at them with a quirked brow. Miroku was the first to scramble to his feet, using his staff as leverage. “Just.. discussing how it's possible to have such a beautiful wife, sweet daughters, and a charming boy!”

Sango raised a brow in a challenge to his honesty. As true as it may be, obviously, she doubted that was what they were talking about. Kagome tended to be a little nosy, and while Miroku usually tried to respect personal privacy, he had a curious nature. Put the two of them together, and there was always bound to be trouble. “Right,” she sighed.

Miroku mocked offence at her silent challenge but didn't say anything, opting instead for kissing her cheek and slipping Mamoru out of the cloth tied around her back. Rising to her feet, Kagome watched with a smile as Miroku held his son, kissing the boy's right palm, where a small birthmark painted his skin. Mamoru squealed, all squirming limbs and toothless laughter.

Letting go of her mother's hand, Sayuri wandered over to Kagome and tried to peak into her basket. “What'ya got in there?” she asked, standing on her toes and still unable to see over the edge.

Kagome knelt down beside her and tipped the basket forward so she could look inside. “Incense for the Shrines.”

Sayuri picked up one of the sticks and held it up to her nose. “It smells really good!”

“Would you like to help me offer them?” Kagome asked.

Sayuri's face lit up. “Like a Shrine Maiden?”

Kagome nodded. “Just like a Shrine Maiden. You can be my helper, and I'll show you how to light it.”

“Okay!” Sayuri chirped, taking Kagome's hand with the incense clasped in the other.

With the little girl dragging her off toward the Shrine before she could properly stand, Kagome laughed and stumbled to her feet. Sango and Miroku followed along with the other two young ones in tow, their own hands clasped together as they all made their way to the shrine.

The Shrine sat on top of a steep hill overlooking Kagome's hut, the red Torii gate standing high over the rooftops and trees. The steps were worn and cracked after years of use and no money for repair, but Kagome never believed for a moment that it made it any less sacred than her own family's Shrine in Tokyo. What the Shrine looked like didn't matter, it was the prayer and respect that went into it that made it a holy place. However, the moment she walked around the corner in view of the base of the hill, Kagome realized there were a few things that could make a Shrine feel unholy. Lord Takeda Masao sat at the bottom of the steps, surrounded by village men, women, and children. Not a single Samruai stood to guard him, and not a single weapon hung from his elaborate armour. Lord Masao bursting into hearty, roaring laughter, clapping one of the village men on the shoulder before ruffling a young girl's hair, smiling at her flustered embarrassment. He was the picture of charismatic, a man of his people, and for reasons even Kagome didn't understand, it made her sick to her stomach.

Seeing the crowd of delighted people, Sayuri tried to run off to join them, only to be stopped by Kagome's grasp on her hand. The little girl looked up at the Priestess in confusion. When some unseen force drew her eyes to her sister, hiding behind their mother's legs, her excitement dimmed. If Umeko was apprehensive, maybe she should be too. Her father wore the same grim expression. 

Lord Masao halted a conversation as they slowly approached, smiling and even going so far as to give them a curt nod. Out of obligation alone, with the eyes of the villagers on them, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango bowed. Lord Masao grinned. “Ah, I thought you might come!” he stated, sweeping his arms out wide as if he were welcoming them to his home. Kagome's grip on her basket tightened. He had to have known perfectly well that he was standing in front of the home of the village Priestess; her home. Lord Masao either didn't notice her tense demeanour or simply didn't care. “Won't you join us?”

“We were just on our way to bring offerings to the Shrine, Lord Masao,” Kagome declined politely. “You'll have to excuse us.”

Lord Masao nodded. “Of course, of course, be on your way. But are all of you going?” he asked, glancing toward Miroku.

Miroku stood straighter, holding his head high. “We are,” he answered.

The young Warlord's brows furrowed in thought. “I must say, this is the strangest village I've ever come across on my travels,” he admitted. “Your company is strange enough, but a Buddhist Monk aiding duties in Shinto Shinto? And it would seem you and the Priestess are good friends as well,” he paused. “Forgive me, I'm being rude. It just isn't something I've seen.”

Miroku and Kagome exchanged a dumbfounded glance. “Well,” Kagome started, “it is nothing unusual here. I cannot say how these things are where you come from, Lord Masao, but we have never differentiated between the two here. I've always had the highest respect for Miroku.” Of course, that wasn't completely true; as a Monk, he had been _more_ than questionable in the past, but it was true in the fact that Kagome always held high respect for his spiritual prowess and his value as a friend. His decisions were an entirely different matter, and one glance from Sango told her that she was thinking the same thing.

“It is a partnership I've never seen before,” Lord Masao shrugged with an air of indifference to what she'd just explained to him. “Still, perhaps I am more used to a solely Shinto way of life. I have never seen the appeal of foreign practice,” with that, he returned his gaze to Miroku, “but it greatly pleases me to see that our culture is preserved in Shrines like this.”

“Everyone in the village pitches in to preserve the Shrine,” Miroku cut in, his voice calmly controlled. “It is the least we could do after everything the previous Shrine Keepers have done for us.”

“Yes, I heard of the loss,” Lord Masao sighed. “The last priestess recently passed, didn't she? Lady Kaede?” A shiver ran down Kagome’s spine from the base of her skull at the way Masao said Kaede’s name. There was a sharpness on his tongue, a biting tone that Kagome couldn’t begin to fathom. Masao turned his face toward her. “I'm terribly sorry.”

“Thank you,” Kagome tried to smile, eager to leave and get away from the topic of her late mentor. Stepping through the crowd and bowing in passing to Lord Masao, she and her companions made their way up the steps toward the red Tori gates. “Now, if you'll pardon us-”

“How _did_ she pass away, if may I ask?” Lord Masao asked suddenly.

Kagome stopped midstep. Clenching her jaw, she nodded to Sango and Miroku to quell their concerned gazes before turning back to look down at Lord Masao. “Old age, we suspect. It was very sudden, no one had seen it coming. We found her already gone.”

“We?”

“Inuyasha and I.”

“Oh yes, that _hanyou_ ,” the young Warlord nodded thoughtfully. “And who was the last to be with her?”

Kagome's heart skipped a beat, sickening dread piercing her chest. She hesitated to say it, her eyes sweeping over the villagers listening to them. She couldn't lie. They knew. “It was Inuyasha.”

Lord Masao nodded again, regarding the men and women surrounding him with a steady, knowing gaze. “Such strange company in this village. Well,” he looked back up to Kagome with nothing but a smile and a glint in his eyes that said he'd gotten what he came there for. “I won't keep you from your duties any longer, Lady Kagome.”

Kagome bowed hastily, gently tugging Sayuri's hand so they could keep moving. She hadn't taken another step before Lord Masao's voice stopped her again. “Oh, and Lady Kagome? I heard about that unfortunate incident last week. My men had no idea that ground was sacred, I apologize on their behalf.” He flashed her another smile. “Rest assured, that because of your cooperation, loyalty, and hospitality, the Sacred Forest will not be disturbed.”

Kagome paled, already able to feel his hold on her, like a snake coiling around her neck.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When Inuyasha found her, the afternoon was golden and she was spread out in the grass under Goshinboku. After finishing his business in the market earlier that day, he'd found Miroku, Sango, and the kids heading back to their home. Kagome, they told him, had gone off on her own after leaving incense at the Shrine. He didn't bother looking for her the first hour, but when she still didn't return, he figured he'd at the very least figure out where she was. Even if he hadn’t caught her scent, instinct alone would have brought him to this clearing, and it looked like instinct alone was enough.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves above and flickered shadows over her face, so tranquil that even he was mindful enough not to break it. Inuyasha joined her, dropping himself down in the overgrown grass and settling beside her with his arms folded under his head. For a long moment, Kagome didn't acknowledge his presence. When she did, even her voice couldn't break the serene silence.

“Maybe you didn't get the message, Inuyasha, but it was implied that I wanted to be alone,” she said without any real conviction, dropping her head to the side to look at him through the grass caressing her cheek. Her eyes were swollen and red.

Inuyasha scoffed, meeting her gaze through the grass. “Bullshit.”

Kagome laughed despite herself. “I guess so.”

Propping himself up on his elbow and turning on his side, Inuyasha looked down at her. “Tell me what's wrong.”

“It’s nothing.”

“You’ve been crying.”

Kagome wiped at her eyes with her kimono sleeve. “Nothing escapes you,” she sighed in dry humour. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she looked back up at the overhead branches of the Sacred Tree. “That Warlord was in the village today, right in front of the steps to the Shrine. At first, it seemed like he was just trying to get to know us, asking questions he didn't have much reason to, but he brought up Kaede, and... I don't know, it rubbed me the wrong way. It.. it sounded like he was trying to pin the blame on you.”

Inuyasha frowned. “On me?”

Kagome nodded. “Because you were the last one with her.”

“Do you think that's really why?”

She could still hear the echoes of the way Masao had sneered the word _hanyou_ in her mind. “No.”

“Good, neither do I.” Inuyasha growled under his breath in frustration, flopping onto his back again. “I've got a bad feeling about this Masao guy.”

The moment his name was spoken, someone began screaming.

A shriek tore through the air, ripping right through their bodies. In an instant, Inuyasha flipped backwards off the ground, grabbing Kagome and shielding her with his body as gale winds whirled through the clearing, kicking up leaves and twigs to fly around them. All the while, a young woman’s voice emanated from all directions, her ethereal wailing resonating through every bone in Kagome’s body. She clung to Inuyasha's haori, daring to peak over his arm. The sound wasn't real, she knew that. Just as she'd heard singing the day Kaede died, only in her head, she heard this young woman. Knowing that wasn't enough to stop the piercing noise.

“Masao!” the voice screamed a thousand times and all at once, her cries echoing off the forest with increasing intensity. “Masao! Leave this place! Get out! _GET OUT!_ ”

Kagome squinted through the debris. On the roots of the Sacred Tree, a young Priestess stood with her arms out wide and her single eye staring right through them in unspeakable rage. Pushing herself out of Inuyasha's arms before he could force her back under his protection, Kagome scrambled to her feet and ran toward her. “Kaede, _stop_!”

The moment Kagome's hand reached out toward her, their fingers only a hair's width from touching, the spirit vanished. Kagome stumbled forward as the wind stilled and the debris fell back to the forest flower. With her outstretched hand, she caught herself on the scarred bark of the tree. Kagome’s lungs shuddered, her eyes wide as she stared at the rough bark biting into her skin. The wind rustled wildly one more time, rattling the branches of the tree overhead. As Kagome lifted her gaze to the tree, Inuyasha slowly rose to his feet behind her.

“What the _fuck_ was that...?”

“Inuyasha, look.” Kagome breathed.

Above them, with the unlit lantern still caught in its branches, every single one of Goshiboku's leaves had turned over. 


	10. Chapter 10

_A crack of thunder._

_Inuyasha wrapped his arm around her waist, curling around her and holding her body flush against his. He whispered something in her ear, his voice swallowed by the eclipse drawing in all sound. Kagome felt her heart stutter in fear, her mind churning to understand what he said when all she could hear was the void, and all the while they were_ falling _._

_The world melted in hues of blood red around her, and suddenly she was standing on a beach. The orange cliffs rose up behind her. Kagome felt the warm water lapping at her bare feet as she starred out over the vast ocean. Foreboding black clouds boiled over the horizon, wisps slowly being drawn into the eclipse above. She could almost feel her soul lifting higher and higher into the slowly swirling void of the black moon, like it wanted to leave her body on the sandy shore. A humid breeze pushed strands of hair in her face._

Kagome woke up sputtering against a surge of bitterly cold water pouring over her head. Before she was even fully awake, she shot up on her futon and desperately wiped at her face, the stark cold quickly forcing her mind to catch up with her body. “Takuya, the sun hasn't even risen yet!” she moaned as she grabbed the towel she kept by her bed _specifically_ for when this happened. Across the room, she could hear Inuyasha's poorly muffled snickering. With one glare from her, his smug grin disappeared. “You just let him walk right in, didn't you?” she accused.

“I didn't technically _let_ him do shit.” Inuyasha shrugged.

Kagome's glare narrowed. “But you didn't stop him either.”

“No way.”

“Enough of your adolescent bickering!” Takuya tucked the bucket against his side under one arm and forced Kagome to her feet, eagerly pushing her toward the door despite her whining protests. “Today we work on the Art of Healing!” he proclaimed.

Kagome turned her tired glare to him from over her shoulder. “More flowers?”

“It is a completely valid form of training, and I don't want to hear any more complaints! Outside, young lady,” Takuya ordered, giving Kagome one last push out the door. “You too, Rin!” Turning to the girl's futon in the corner, he was met with only a tangled mess of hair peaking out from under her blanket. The priest frowned, slowly inching his way toward her with his bucket, still half full of water. The moment he raised it over his head, a pillow came soaring through the air and knocked it back so it fell on the man instead. Takuya yelped, pulling the bucket off his head to glare at both the hanyou who had so viciously attacked him, and the priestess who's eyes were brimming with tears from laughter in the doorway.

Inuyasha glanced back at Takuya with an indifferent shrug. “Rin'll bite your head off if you wake her. I'll send her up to the Shrine when she gets up.”

Kagome glared at Inuyasha accusingly, the threat ruined by her own laughter. “But you let him wake _me_ up?”

“I’m more scared of Rin.” 

With one last glare at Inuyasha, Takuya grumbled under his breath and began dragging Kagome toward the door.

Knowing from experience that resistance was futile, Kagome complied, but not before peaking her head back through the door to smile back at Inuyasha. “Good morning!” she chirped before, as expected, Takuya's hand reached in and pulled her back outside. Just barely able to hear Inuyasha's chuckle from the other side of the wall, Kagome smiled to herself as she accepted her fate. Handed a flowerpot and a bundle of incense, the Priest ushered her off toward the shrine steps. Kagome yawned as they started heading up the stone steps, rising above the sleeping village bellow. It was only about halfway up that Kagome realized that, while it was still dark out, there was a dim golden glow lighting her path. Pausing between two steps, she tilted her head and looked back to find Takuya following behind her with a familiar lantern in his hand.

“Takuya...” she began, “where did you get that?”

“This?” Takuya clarified, lifting the lantern just a little higher in his hands. “I bought it from one of the merchants in the market. I thought it would be just perfect for early excursions like this.”

“May I?” With a nod from the Priest, Kagome took the lantern and turned it over in her hands, using its own glow to examine the fine details. The frame was a lot heavier than the ones she was familiar with, but she _knew_ she had seen this same lantern in Kaede's chest. “Well, I guess I have to thank Inuyasha for this early wake up call,” she smiled to herself as she passed the lantern back to Takuya.

“Pardon?”

“Nevermind.”

Kagome spent the better part of the early morning in the light of Inuyasha's lantern, sitting in front of the modest wooden shrine and surrounded by Takuya's plants. The incense she stuck into the ground rose in spiralling streams. Beside her, Kikyo's grave reflected the glow in dull, worn comparison to the newer grave next to it. Still, the Sister Graves stood on either side of her, equally strong and sacred in their own rights. With every deep breath, Kagome took in the scent of her offerings, and with every release she heard the morning creatures buzz as dawn crept up behind the mountains. All the while, her hands hovered over a budding sprout in potted soil. Her mind, however, flashed images of Inuyasha's head in her lap in its place, his face slowly releasing all pain and tension under her fingertips. She always complained about Takuya's training, however unconventional it was, but if she could do that for Inuyasha, she would never refuse it.

A light pair of footsteps and a tired yawn drew her attention to Rin coming up the stairs toward the Shrine, rubbing her hands in her eyes as she dragged toward the glowing lantern. Without a word, the girl stretched her arms over her head, picked up a broom from the side of the Shrine, and began to sweep. It was an old chore she had done under Kaede's care, something to help the elderly woman so she wouldn't strain herself. Kagome had told her many times that she could sweep the Shrine on her own, but Rin always took up the broom anyway. She quickly figured out that it was a comforting old habit for her, in the same way joining in her training was, and she wasn't going to disturb that.

The light brushing of straw against the ground soon blended in with the morning birds and bugs, allowing Kagome to seep back into concentration. It seemed she had barely closed her eyes again before Rin was suddenly standing between her and Kaede's grave to her right. “Kagome, where do you think Lady Kaede is?” the girl asked as she leaned against her broom.

Kagome tried not to look startled as she raised her head. This was the first time Rin had spoken about Kaede since her passing. “I think... she's in a lot of places, Rin,” she answered carefully, thinking back to seeing her spirit at Goshinboku. “I think she's watching over us, and I think she lingers around the places that meant a lot to her in her life, and I think she is at peace where all humans go to rest. A spirit isn't a physical thing that exists in one place at one time.”

“Is it the same way with Lady Kikyo?”

“I believe so.”

“And what about youkai?”

This time, Kagome couldn't silence her startled intake of breath. “Rin...”

The girl lowered herself to the ground and knelt beside Kagome, setting her broom down at her side. “One day I will grow old and die, and my Lord will not. I know that,” she explained simply as she stared into her reflection on Kaede’s gravestone, “but I would like it if, even if not until the end of time, I could see him again.”

The sky was still deep indigo, not qute light yet, but as Kagome looked at Rin she felt she had never seen the girl so clearly. She was no longer the child who trailed at Sesshomaru's heels, but a young lady who had seen so little of the world and yet knew so much. Kagome followed her gaze up the grave. “Well... I believe there is a place where being human or youkai or even a deity doesn't matter. Somewhere beyond even the Underworld. I don't know what it's called, but I don't think that matters either. I just know that it's where you realize that your loved ones never left you, or you never left them. In some ways, we're all already there.”

“I like that idea,” Rin decided. “I think it would be awfully lonely otherwise.”

The two young ladies exchanged a warm glance. “Rin, sometimes I wonder if you're the wisest of all of us,” Kagome smiled.

The sound of war drums echoing off the hillsides silenced them both. Dread sinking into her heart, Kagome rose to her feet, met with the unfortunately familiar sight of colourful flags and dust kicked up by sandals on the mountain path. The idea of another day of enduring the soldiers’ company made Kagome's stomach churn, but there was nothing she could do. The villagers had welcomed them, and her role as Priestess was not to govern them or their thoughts. She had no choice but to put up with them. Beside her, Rin rose to her feet as well and looked down at the advancing army. “Sometimes I wonder if you're the most tolerant.” Rin murmured.

Kagome tore her gaze away from the valley below. “I'm sure Inuyasha would have a few words to say about that,” she smiled, drawing the girl's attention away from the grim sight. She tolerated Lord Masao's men because she had no other choice. Defying, she realized, would mean putting both the village and the Sacred Tree in possible danger.

A warm cup was pushed gently into her hands before she could let her mind wander. As she looked down at it, steam rose up over her face, and when the little cloud cleared, she found loose tea floating in boiled water. Behind her, Takuya gave a small cup to Rin as well, holding his own as he knelt by the graves. “That is enough for this morning, ladies,” he nodded as he lowered himself down. He gestured for the two of them to join him on the ground, waiting until they knelt on either side of him to reach forward and pluck a flower from the Jasmine plant in the pot in front of him. Dropping the flower into his own cup, he then did the same to Kagome's and Rin's, murmuring a prayer over them before lifting it to his mouth. With a long sip, he dropped his hands into his lap and sighed in content peace. “You're free to go.”

Excited to hear that she was finished with her morning chores, Rin scrambled up to her feet and bowed to Takuya in thanks. The priest smiled, reaching up to pat her head before she scrambled off down the stairs and into the village. They could just barely hear her yelp and complaint about the hot tea spilling on her hands from the bottom. Kagome laughed as she slowly rose to her feet as well. “I'll be off too, then,” she said as she stretched one arm over her head and used the other to raise her tea to her lips. The taste was sweeter than she had expected, but it warmed her against the morning chill. For a moment, she closed her eyes and felt the hot liquid make its way down her throat and through her chest, and was able to forget the vulgar men flooding into her village below. That is until she heard a cart fall over and the contents spill into the streets. A chorus of laughter followed. Kagome walked beneath the Torii gate and watched as the group of men that knocked it over kept walking and the cart's owner laughed along with them before picking the mess up himself. She rolled her eyes, taking another sip of tea in the hopes that it would calm her boiling annoyance. She didn't know how much longer she could take this before she would snap.

 _'Well, nothing I haven't been dealing with for weeks.'_ Kagome thought to herself as she began her descent down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she rounded her Hut to the door and peeked inside to find Inuyasha long gone. With no one there, she didn't bother trying to conceal her disappointment. She had hoped they could spend the day together. He’d been acting increasingly strange and secretive as of late, and she was always training. It seemed like forever since they had just spent a day together. _'Again... nothing I haven't been dealing with for weeks.'_

There were no other chores or duties to attend to that day, so rather than sitting around and dwelling on all the things that aggravated her, Kagome decided to take her wicker basket out to the glade by Goshinboku to forage for herbs. The morning sun was rising quickly, and already growing hot, so she didn't think twice before pushing her arms through the cuts in her kimono sleeves and tying them behind her back. She was sure Takuya would have a fit if he saw her, but she was beginning to think he had given up on changing the habit. Not that she really cared at that point anyway. It was _hot._ Ready to go out for the day, Kagome took one last look around her and headed toward the door; only to stop after two steps.

Poorly hidden under Inuyasha's futon in the corner, not that he ever actually slept on it, she could see a cloth-wrapped package peaking out. Quickly looking out the door to make sure Inuyasha wasn't anywhere near, she nudged the futon up with her toe to find, as she half expected, lantern materials. The contents spilling out from beneath were much more elaborate that she'd seen before, with different metals for framing and coloured papers, as well as paints she’d never seen before. It looked like it had been thrown under the futon in a hurry, making her wonder if he hadn't quickly tried to hide it when Takuya came in to wake her that morning.

Even as she pushed through the bamboo mat door, Kagome frowned in thought, trying to figure out what Inuyasha could be up to. She knew he was selling the Lanterns, she saw that, and he kept making more, but Inuyasha wasn't exactly the business, domestic type. And why do it now? If this was a skill he had, why not use it during the three years she had been gone? It would make a lot more sense, but really, _nothing_ he was doing made sense.

Those thoughts soon trailed off, put at the back of her mind for the time being as she made her way across a busy street. As she walked along, though, she couldn't help but overhear a conversation between three Samurai and a few villagers.

“We received word about it just last night. Our men at an outpost not far from here have rid a neighbouring village of its youkai problem. Some giant creature, didn't put up much of a fight,” a Samurai boasted.

One of the young men cocked his head to the side. “Good to hear. Was it terrorizing them?”

“No, it was _living_ with them, if you can believe that,” another warrior scoffed, “but it would have turned on them. They all do.”

“Well then I suppose it's a good thing your men destroyed it in time,” an older man nodded. “Anyway, you must all come to the festival. It's not long from now, and the village wants to thank you and the other men for....”

Kagome frowned as she let the rest of the conversation slip from her attention, her grip on her basket tightening. She couldn't take much more of this, not when they were going after youkai who had done no wrong. It hit far too close to home. Eyes flashing, she turned to stomp towards them, but couldn't make it more than a few steps before something blocked her path. Kagome stumbled to a stop before she could hit the obstruction, looking up to find Captain Yorino towering over her, eyes piercing straight through hers. Kagome's heart skipped, but she willed herself not to pale at the sight of him or the gruesome scar left on his limp hand. A long moment passed before she could will herself to breathe, flinching as the Captain bowed to her. “Lady Kagome,” he greeted coolly.

Kagome returned the bow. “Captain,” she nodded as she straightened up again. “What brings you through the village? I haven't seen you here since you first arrived.”

“Just taking in the fresh air,” the Captain answered, though Kagome could see he had no desire to converse with her. “It has also occurred to me that you might have something that belongs to me.”

Kagome's mind wandered to the crystal he had dropped, now sitting in a box at the back of her cupboard. “I'm sorry, I don't think I do,” she shrugged innocently.

Yorino's eyes flashed dangerously, but he made no move against her. “That is unfortunate. Then again, I'm sure it isn't uncommon for things to go missing in a village like this, with that hanyou stalking the streets.”

Her basket dropped to her side. That was _it_. Kagome thought she was at the end of her rope before, but she was about ready to explode in his face now. She took one step forward, raising her finger to begin telling him off, when suddenly her wrist was grabbed and her finger diverted toward the trees. Eyes widening in confusion, she looked to her left to find the culprit. Takuya held her hand steady, inching his way between her and the Captain. “Well, would you look at that!” he exclaimed, pointing in the same direction for good measure. “The leaves have turned over! Looks like we're in for some rain.”

Kagome's eyes snapped toward the tree branches above her. Sure enough, every leaf on the branch was showing its underside, a change she hadn't even noticed. “What?”

“Overturned leaves are a sure sign of a coming storm. Captain, I hope you make it back to your fortress in time, because I have a feeling it will pour!” the priest rambled, quickly letting go of Kagome's hand in favour of guiding her away from what could have been a devastating confrontation. He swept Kagome’s basket off the ground and waved it over his head. “Good speed to you and your men! Don't slip in the mud on your way out!” As soon as they were far enough away, Takuya quickened their pace and muttered in her ear. “The Art of Healing is all fine and good, but next I think we should work on the Art of Holding One's tongue.”

Kagome's lips sank into a firm pout at the comment, but she didn't dwell on it. Glancing up at the trees they passed, she saw every single leaf turned over, but not a cloud in the sky. _'A sure sign of a coming storm?'_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

“You're sure?” Inuyasha grunted as he looked down over the village from the meadow. The flowers had long disappeared from the glade, leaving it green and bare. Every gust of wind pushing through made waves in the tall grass.

Myoga sat cross-legged on his shoulder, the little flea just a speck again the red fabric. “I am afraid so, Master. I saw it with my own eyes,” he informed him gravely.

Inuyasha clenched his fists. “Shit,” he growled. What was he supposed to tell Kagome? Could he even find the courage to say it? She had already gone through so much, he couldn't stand the thought of making her upset. Her cries from the day they found Kaede still haunted him in quiet moments, the memory constricting his chest until he could hardly breathe. He couldn’t let her down again. “This isn't looking good, Myoga.”

“What?” the flea leapt up to perch on the hanyou's nose. “I thought _you_ of all people would put up bravado about swiftly bringing an end to it!”

Inuyasha growled under his breath in mounting irritation, reaching up to slap the little demon off his face. “I said it wasn't looking good, not that I couldn't handle it!” he argued as Myoga fell back into his palm. “I _will_ handle it,” he repeated, “but I can't just charge at them, it's not just my life at risk here.”

“Yet another thing I never thought I'd here from you.”

“Watch it.”

“It was meant to be a compliment!” Myoga backpedalled, looking up to the sky to find dark clouds boiling rapidly over the mountain peaks. “It just shows how you have matured, Master. Now, if you will excuse me, I will take my leave before the storm hits. I will return to inform you of any developments I hear.” And with that, the flea was gone, disappearing off Inuyasha's palm and into the grass below.

Inuyasha sighed and let his hand drop, eyes sweeping his surroundings from the village to the rolling hills, valleys, and rivers beyond. It wasn't two seconds before the skies opened up above him and the rain began to pour down. He cursed under his breath, taking off down the hillside and toward the village. Through the blinding veil, he could just barely see the sopping wet flags of Masao's men retreating back to their outpost. Good riddance.

By the time he made it back to Kagome's hut, he was hopelessly soaked to the bone. Inuyasha pushed through the door and began to ring his hair out onto the dirt floor, pausing only when he saw Kagome sitting on Kaede's chest with her arms crossed and his materials at her feet, equally soaked in only her white under kimono. She raised a brow in challenge and lifted her chin to tell him she had no intention of moving. Inuyasha stepped up onto the wooden platform and made his way over to the empty firepit. “Kagome, what are you doing?” he asked as he began to shed his robes. Picking up logs and kindling from the stack in the dirt, he carried them back over to the pit and stoked the fire.

Kagome remained unmoved by his indifference. “I want answers.”

“To what?” he shrugged.

“You know what.”

“How long has it been since I called you a Nosy Wench?” the Hanyou retorted, pausing to blow on the burning embers he made. “Because I think that needs to be said again.”

Kagome's eyes narrowed. “Inuyasha!”

“Nosy Wench.”

“I'm not moving until I get some answers.”

“Hope you're comfortable.”

Kagome let out a shout of frustration and leaned back against the wall behind her. Her hair dripped and stuck to her skin in glistening strands, doing nothing to help her irritation as she wiped it away.“Why won't you just _tell_ me? What's the big secret?! Ugh, you're so impossible!”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, rising to his feet. Behind him, the fire slowly began to crawl up the logs and light the room. “Why do you need to know so badly?” He fired back.

“Because you're always sneaking around, acting all suspicious! It's... _irritating_!”

“What's _irritating_ is you butting in all the damn time. It’s got nothing to do with you!”

“Obviously it is if you feel like you have to hide it from me!”

“Just drop it, Kagome!”

“I'm supposed to be part of your life!” Kagome wailed, her shrill voice cutting straight through the heart of him. They both paused, the sound of heavy rain against the roof and cracking firewood only strengthening the silence. Kagome glared at Inuyasha, eyes sad behind the fire reflected in them. “I just... we were apart for so long, and we _never talk about it_ , not since the night I returned, and... I can't stand the thought of you keeping things from me, even if it's something stupid. I stayed to spend my life here with you, but I missed out on so much already.”

Inuyasha's stubborn tension deflated just by the look on her face. “Kagome...” he trailed off, his voice turned hopelessly soft. Heaving a sigh, he walked toward her and gently hooked on arm under her knees and the other around her back. He picked her up, balancing her against his bare chest as he carried her over to the fire and set her down. In the roaring firelight, her soaking white kimono was transparent, and neither seemed to care as Inuyasha walked back to the trunk, and she began to ring out her hair. Finally, after some scuffling around in the trunk, Inuyasha lowered himself down beside her and dropped a thick coin pouch between them. Kagome's eyes widened and snapped up to the hanyou, who immediately averted his gaze to poorly hide the tint to his cheeks. “You stayed to spend your life here with me...” he repeated her in a low murmur. “Your home was probably a lot more comfortable, and you must miss all of the things we don't have here. A priestess is always taken care of by the village, so you never have to worry about things like food, but you don't exactly make any money. I-I know it's not much, but I thought that maybe... I could help, y'know, with everything else.”

The heat flooding Kagome's chest seeped into her racing heart. She stared up at Inuyasha, but his gaze remained fixed on the flickering fire, stubbornly avoiding hers. He had always been a traveller, roaming freely and without roots, and now here he was trying to settle down and provide for her. Kagome had always been somewhat afraid that she was holding him down, bu it was becoming dauntingly clear to her now that she’d had the wrong idea all along. “Inuyasha... you know I don't need this,” she breathed.

“I know,” he sighed, finally gathering the courage to look her in the eyes. “But I wanted to do it anyway.”

Kagome didn't care about money. She didn't care if she was poor so long as she was with Inuyasha,. She had been certain of that when she took the plunge into the well and returned to him. So, it wasn't the money but the deed itself, the thought and heart that went into it, that prompted her to wrap her arms around him and nuzzle her face into his neck. “Thank you, Inuyasha.”

Slowly letting go of his tension, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer, lowering them both back until he was leaning against the trunk, and she was laying against his bare chest. “Yeah... don't mention it.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The earth was still covered in the last day's rain when Kagome walked into the Sacred Tree's glade that afternoon, but it didn't stop her from laying down in the grass and basking in the warm sunlight filtering through the overturned leaves above her. Even after the rain, while the other trees returned to normal, the Goshinboku's leaves remained turned, still waiting for the coming storm. Kagome frowned up at the branches in thought, the surreal quiet of the forest seeping into her veins and making her heavy, as if she could sink right into the ground.

Reaching into the folds of her kimono, Kagome pulled out the crystal she had kept from Captain Yorino and held it up between her fingers in the sunlight. It seemed ordinary enough, just like a chunk of quartz, but she could feel the power surging beneath its rugged surface. “Godstone...” She murmured to herself as she turned it over to look at it from every angle. Fractured light shined in every direction each time the sun hit it just right, but it was quickly becoming apparent that just staring at it wasn't going to unlock its secrets. She sighed, letting her arm fall to her side.

A distant crash broke through her melancholy. Kagome rose to her feet, listening to the path she had taken from the village. After a beat of silent, the rapid increase of shouting reached her, echoing off the trees. She wouldn't have even bothered listening if she hadn't heard one distinct voice rise up over the other voices. Inuyasha's feral shouting was recognizable through an army's battle cry in a hurricane, something she had learned to instinctively pick out over her time with him. Letting herself believe that he was just picking a fight with one of the Samurai, she sighed and made her way down the path. She wasn't halfway down before the shouting match began to escalate, and she began to worry. The options of what could be wrong weren't looking good to her. Picking up her pace, Kagome ran out of the forest and down through the rice fields until she made it back to the village. Every man, woman, and child on the street were looking in one direction; the village market. She dodged through the crowd, finding it harder and harder to get through the throng of bystanders. When she finally pushed her way through, she stumbled to a stop and found Inuyasha about three seconds away from strangling one of the merchants.

“What the _fuck_ do you mean you won't take them? We had a deal!” he bellowed. The Hanyou's lanterns were scattered on the ground at his feet, as if they'd been thrown back at him.

“I will not do business with a demon!” the merchant argued back. “Not after what you did!”

Inuyasha advanced a threatening step forward. “I told you, I didn't do it!”

“Hey!” Kagome shouted over them, possibly the only person there who could be heard over Inuyasha. “What's going on?!”

Inuyasha spun around, noticing Kagome for the first time. For a split second, his expression softened, but the moment he was reminded of why he was there, he turned his anger back to the merchant. The Merchant welcomed the arrival of the village Priestess, straightening up under the Hanyou's menacing glare. “Lady Kagome, this... this _monster_ destroyed my goods!” he shouted accusingly, pointing toward the side of his cart where the cover had been sliced open by five distinct claw markings. “And I'm not the only one!” Surely enough, several carts and stands in the market had been torn apart or destroyed in some way, all with the same markings. The villagers chorused their agreement, hostility directed toward the crimson-clad half-demon in the centre of their mob.

“Wait, hang on a minute!” Kagome hollered above the noise. “You can't _really_ believe it was him! Inuyasha would never do this!”

“You don't have to try to defend him anymore, Lady Kagome,” one of the young ladies of the village stepped up, placing her hand gently on Kagome's arm. “We know, it's alright.”

Kagome stumbled back from her touch, her shoulder brushing Inuyasha's side as she reached blindly for his hand. He took it without a falter in his snarling at the mob. “No, you know Inuyasha! H-he saved you all, don't you remember?!”

“All demons turn,” one voice tore through the crowd as it parted. Captain Yorino approached them, sick pleasure dripping from his gaze. “It is in their nature.”

“You don't know anything about him,” Kagome snapped. “I was with him all day! I was-”

“Kagome...” Inuyasha cut her off, his hand tightening in her grasp. She hadn't been with him at all that day, the villagers knew. They had seen. He had no alibi, no witness, and a sentence on his life since birth. The worst part was, by the look on the Captain's face, he knew that too. He knew he had won.


	11. Chapter 11

Rin ducked under a plank of wood carried between two village men as she chased after Jun and Kei, shouting her apology over her shoulder when they protested. The dogs had been acting out of sorts lately, and their restless behaviour was beginning to grate on the nerves of their neighbours. They really didn't need any more of a reason for the villagers to be cross with them, and so there Rin found herself, trying to get the dogs under control to avoid any more annoyances.

It wasn't an easy task.

Narrowly dodging another plank, she skidded barefoot in the dirt and tried to run around a hut to catch the dogs off guard. That plank, along with many others, was on its way to the fire pit being built in the centre of the village. A festival was being held for Lord Masao and his Warriors as a small thanks for “protecting” them from the impending threat of War. As wary of the newcomers as she was, Rin was looking forward to a fun party. It wasn't exactly the first thing on her mind though, currently too preoccupied with rounding up Jun and Kei to think of much else. Rounding the hut with the dogs on the other side, Rin raced to the corner and lunged at them. Her fingers just barely grazed Jun's tail as she slipped in a puddle from the last day's rain and fell face first into the mud.

“You'd better be careful!” a deep voice chuckled from above her. Slowly pushing herself off the ground, Rin glanced up to find one of the soldiers kneeling down in front of her with his hand extended. She hesitantly took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. “You shouldn't have been running around like that,” he laughed. “Look, you've gone and ruined your fine kimono before the festival!

Rin looked down at herself and pouted. She was covered head to toe in mud, her kimono ripped and stained from the fall. “It's alright,” she sighed as she tried to comb the mud from her hair. “I have more.”

The man raised a brow in amusement. “You do? How could you afford them?”

Rin shrugged indifferently, too busy with cleaning herself off to be offended. “They were gifts.”

The soldier smiled warmly. “Ah, so you must have a wealthy suitor trying to win your heart.”

Rin shook her head. “No, I don't have one of those.”

Smile gradually falling from his face, the Soldier looked down at her with growing suspicion. “Then who are they from?”

“They're gifts from my Lord.”

“Impossible, why would Lord Masao give gifts to a silly little girl?” He chuckled.

Rin frowned, her lip stiffening in a pout. “No. Don't be stupid. Lord Sesshomaru brings them when he comes to visit me.”

“Who-” 

“Hey, Rin.” In a flash of crimson and white, Inuyasha dropped down from above and landed deftly in front of her. “The hell did you do?”

Rin looked down at herself, the mud drying and caking against her skin, before looking back at Inuyasha and shrugging. “I slipped.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” the Hanyou laughed under his breath. “Sango and Miroku are taking the kids down to the river to wash up before the festival. Go with them, you need it.”

Rin beamed up at him. “Okay!' she chirped, hugging his leg with a tight squeeze as she ran off toward the river.

The moment she was gone, Inuyasha turned to the Soldier with a snarl. “Leave the girl alone.”

The soldier stood up straighter under the heated glare of the hanyou, his lip curling in disgust. “She is not your property, beast. I know how your kind thinks,” he accused.

“Rin is _no one's_ property, but she damn well shouldn't have to put up with bastards like you interrogating her.” Inuyasha snapped.

The soldier scoffed. “She shouldn't have to put up with monsters like you in her home!”

A roar of agreement met his proclamation. Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat as he turned around to suddenly find them surrounded by villagers and soldiers eagerly cheering on his opponent. In the heat of his anger he hadn't even noticed them gathering, nor did he notice Kagome pushing her way through the crowd to him. The priestess planted herself at his side, her hand firm on his shoulder as she addressed the villagers. “Inuyasha has been taking care of Rin with Lady Kaede for years, he is nothing but kind to her,” she argued in his defence. “Please, you all _know_ this.”

Kagome turned to the crowd, silently begging for them to see reason. A troubled looking young woman took a step forward, her mouth opening to speak up. The defense fell silent off her tongue when her sister pulled her back. Beside them, a Samurai watched the siblings with a warning gaze, his hand twitching to the hit of his katana. They shrunk back into the crowd, looking back at their Priestess with apologies in their eyes.

Inuyasha didn't know what unnerved him more. That most villagers truly believed in the Samurai's preaching, or that those who didn't were threatened into silence.

“Priestess,” the warrior sneered. “Our outpost, protecting _your_ village, is always in need of more lumber. Keep that in mind the next time you open your mouth.”

Like the young woman in the crowd, Kagome's protest fell silent off her tongue. Her face paled. Those men would follow threw on that threat, Inuyasha didn't doubt it for a moment. The hanyou stepped in front of her, his lip curling in challenge at the Samurai.

The soldier remained unmoved by his silent threat. “Keep this up, and you'll end up like the last beast we-”

“Shut up,” Inuyasha hissed. He still hadn't told her...

The soldier tensed, his eyes darting from the hanyou before him and something out past the crowd. A look of frustration flickered over his face. “My apologies,” he forced through gritted teeth, staring past Inuyasha to Kagome. “I do hope you'll forgive me for my rudeness... please don't let this stop you from attending the festival tonight. It would be a shame for the village's esteemed Priestess to be missing.” With that, he turned his back on them and pushed his way through the crowd, disappearing into the masses.

Inuyasha snarled, every bone in his body roaring to go after him, only to feel them silenced with Kagome's touch against his shoulder. The crowd was dispersing, but he could still feel their glares burning into the skin of his back. He briefly caught Kagome's gaze, his troubled expression mirrored in her own. Nothing needed to be said. “Come on,” she dropped the tension from her shoulders and smiled, offering him her hand. He took it without hesitation.

The distant stacking of wood for the fire pit, the sizzling fish cooked over open fires, and the hum of excited chatter bombarded his ears in a less than pleasant reminder of what the festivities meant. He couldn't walk through the village without being glared at, faces that had once welcomed and accepted him turning sour and fearful with his presence. Ever since that Warlord had arrived, it had been downhill for him. This wasn't something he could fight his way out of, as the decorations hanging from every hut reminded him. Now, as he made his way through the village he had called home for three years, he was surrounded by the last of his crafts sold to the Merchant hanging in the doorways. .

They hung his lanterns but wouldn't look him in the eyes.

Eager to get away from the crowds, Inuyasha followed Kagome up to the Shrine. As she started her daily chores, he perched on a tree branch above her and simply watched. High over the village, the sounds of growing excitement below could be ignored in favour of Kagome's sweeping broom and her quiet humming. Still, it wasn't long before she broke the silence.

“Listen, Inuyasha... maybe it would be best for you to leave the village for a while.”

Inuyasha's eyes snapped down to meet hers. “What?” he growled.

Kagome rolled her eyes, anticipating his reaction. “Just until things simmer down-”

“Have you lost your mind?!” the Hanyou leapt down to land before her. “Do you honestly think for a _second_ that I'm going to leave you here alone with _them_?!” he shouted, gesturing wildly down the hill.

“I'm just worried about you! Things are getting hostile, you can't blame me!”

“Save it.”

“Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

“Like you're one to talk!”

“You're both stubborn if you ask me,” Takuya interrupted as he climbed the last few steps up to the Shrine. With matching glares, the bickering duo averted their gazes, begrudgingly accepting that their arguing was getting them nowhere. “You can't afford to be at each others throats at a time like this,” the priest continued, standing between them

“You're right,” Kagome sighed, letting her eyes flicker back to Inuyasha's. There was still that stubborn spark in her eyes, a half admission - clearly she believed she was in the right. Still, she didn’t push it anymore. Picking up from where she left off in sweeping the shrine, she busied herself for only a few moments before her mind began to wander. “Inuyasha...” she trailed off, bristles stilling against the stone. “Before, when that man said _“you'll end up like the last beast,”_ you cut him off so quickly... did you know what he was talking about?”

Inuyasha froze, breath caught in his throat. There was no avoiding the subject now; he couldn't lie to her. Thinking quickly, he looked to the priest and nodded his head toward the Shrine, silently asking for some privacy. Without question, understanding the deep sadness in the young man's eyes, Takuya nodded and left the two of them without question, heading up into the modest Shrine house. He knew enough to see that this was something the two needed to talk about alone.

Kagome immediately caught on, her stomach churning in growing anxiety. Seeing her paling face, Inuyasha gently tugged her into his arms. “Before the rain a few days back, Myoga came to me with news,” he began slowly. “He told me that Masao's men had taken a village not far from here and killed a demon living amoung the humans.”

Kagome's brows furrowed. “I remember hearing a few of the soldiers talking about that in the market.”

Inuyasha nodded, taking a deep breath. “But they got it wrong. It wasn't a demon, it was a half-demon.” Kagome's face washed of all colour, their talk of a giant creature not putting up much of a fight echoing in her ears with dread. “Kagome... it was Jinenji.”

“What?” Kagome breathed despite her suspicion.

“I'm sorry,” Inuyasha sighed, cringing at the tears gathering in her eyes. “I wanted to tell you, but I knew it would hurt and I just didn't have the guts to do it.”

“No, no, don't be sorry, it's just...” she drew in a quivering breath, “...scary. He didn't deserve that.” Kagome bit her lip just to keep from bursting into tears. She couldn't break down right now, as much as she desperately wanted to. The gentle giant could be mourned when she could do it _properly._ But that didn't stop the tears from falling.

“Hey...”Inuyasha frowned and pushed the pad of his thumb gently against her bottom lip to free it from her teeth. “Don't do that.” His fingers lingered, brushing against her lips. “It'll be fine. I won't let anything happen.”

Inuyasha was a man who stuck to his convictions. He’d never wanted to give Kagome a reason to doubt him in his life. When he promised something he followed through, but as the lanterns in the village began to glow under the darkening sky and the music rose up on the breeze, even he couldn't ignore the foreboding dread clinging to his chest.

Kagome tensed in his arms, pushing her face in against his chest. For a long moment, they just stood there, holding onto each other like the second they let go they would be ripped apart. “I should go...” Kagome murmured, with no real effort to move away. “I don’t want to find out what they’ll do if I don’t attend...”

“I'm going with you,” Inuyasha's hold around her tightened.

Kagome shook her head as she brought her face up. “Inuyasha, you don’t have to.”

“Like hell I don’t,” Inuyasha shrugged. “If I can't stop you from going then I'm not letting you go alone. End of discussion.”

There would be no changing his mind, and after all they had been through together, they both knew that well. To tell the truth, the news of Jinenji's demise shook him. He wasn’t sure how it had gotten this bad this fast, but Masao’s influence seemed to have risen from out of nowhere and spread across the land like a smog. Inuyasha didn't want Kagome to be anywhere far without him that night. Still, as they descended from the Shrine together, trepidation overwhelmed his every thought. He could feel them, standing precariously on the edge, one push away from tipping over. They stepped under a red Lantern, hung from the lower torii gate. Inuyasha’s eyes travelled up to stare at the dancing flame inside. Inuyasha remembered making it, remembered sitting in the quiet safety of Kagome’s hut, watching over her and Rin as they slept, his hands working the paper over the frame. All over the village, the flames danced and the people danced around the flames. Passing through the torii gate, Inuyasha felt with a surreal understanding that this was the edge, the final step.

"Kagome!" Rin ran to her with the few other village girls her age, their hair in silk ribbons and kimonos fluttering around them. "Come on, everyone's dancing, it's so much fun!" Beaming in blissful innocence, she took Kagome's free hand and tugged her toward the fire. The other girls insistently tugged on her hakama and kimono sleeve, chanting _"Come with us, Lady Kagome!", "We'll show you how to dance!", "Dance with us, Lady Kagome!"_

Their excitement contagious, Kagome laughed and let them tug her along, looking back at Inuyasha with an apologetic smile. He didn't put up a fight about it, nodding his head with a smirk as the girls dragged her off. If she was going to have to endure this festival and what it meant, then she might as well enjoy herself just to spite those who truly celebrated it. Inuyasha watched Kagome go, letting his hand fall back to his side, his palm cold where her warmth had been. Try as he might, he couldn't shake the anxiety seizing his every heartbeat. It thrummed through his veins, demanding his attention.

So, of course, he ignored it.

Habitually stuffing his hands into his haori sleeves, Inuyasha followed a good distance behind Kagome, just close enough to keep her in sight. As he got closer to the bonfire, the centre of the festivities, he searched through the overwhelming bombardment of his senses until he found Miroku and Sango. They were sitting apart from the crowd, under a tree at the edge of the fire's light. Sango was on her feet, bent over to hold each of her daughters' hands, and dancing with them. Miroku watched from where he sat against the trunk, bouncing Mamoru on his knee. The moment Inuyasha approached, the twins squealed in delight and scampered toward him, hands reaching up to be held. Grinning down at them, the hanyou swooped them into either arm. "Looks like you girls are having fun."

Sayuri giggled and tugged on his ear. "Inu dance with us!" she chirped. Umeko simply contented herself to playing with the enchanted beads around his neck, watching them reflect the firelight. 

"Hey, what'd I say about the ears, kid?" he said with no real conviction, twitching them out of her grasp just to make her laugh.

Sango smiled teasingly at him. "Maybe you should dance with them, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha shook his head and set the girls back on their unsteady feet. "Oh no. I don't dance."

"Suit yourself." she shrugged as her daughters flocked back to her for more dancing.

Standing back for a moment, Inuyasha watched as Sango held the twins and swayed with them to the rhythm of the music, her feet marking circles in the dirt as she moved between him and the fire. All he could see of his friend was her dark silhouette, but still he knew the smile on her face when she looked at her children would outshine the moon. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Miroku cradling his son against his chest as he tired out, pressing his lips against the boy's palm. They had both escaped their demons, but it became clear to him with every glare he felt burning into his back that he would never escape his.

Dropping himself beside Miroku, Inuyasha sighed and idly reached over to ruffle Mamoru's hair as he dozed off. "Everyone seems to be having fun," he commented.

Miroku nodded, looking up to gaze out over the crowd but finding that his eyes didn't travel much farther than his wife. He smiled. "Sango didn't even want to come, but the twins were begging us. They were just so excited about a festival, they didn't even know what it was for. I guess it's easy to let your guard down with things like this when all someone you love wants is to dance."

Inuyasha scoffed. "I don't see you dancing, Monk."

"Someone has to take care of Mamoru, and who am I to deny my wife the pleasure?"

"Please, you just want the pleasure of watching her."

"You wound me, my friend."

Inuyasha laughed despite himself, nudging his friend in the side without disturbing the sleeping infant. As he slumped against the tree, getting as comfortable as he would allow himself, he found his gaze once again scanning over the crowd. Everywhere he looked there was laughter and celebration. Masao's Warriors blended to completely into the villagers that he wouldn't be able to tell them from each other if it weren't for their katanas and guns glinting in the ever-dancing light. Just as he was beginning to wonder why they would need to bring their weapons to a simple festival, an entirely different light catching his eye through the darkness. His face softened, lips twitching up into the slightest smile as he watched Kagome from across the fire.

Rin and the village girls were doing their best to teach Kagome how to dance, giggling when the graceless Priestess stumbled with every foreign step. Still, her laughter could be heard across the valley. As Inuyasha watched her, time seemed to slow, every twirl spun her flowing kimono and raven hair, glowing under the light of his lanterns.

"No, Lady Kagome, like this!" One of the girls tried to instruct her, laughing at her uncoordinated footwork.

"I'm trying!" Kagome laughed over the music. Inuyasha smiled, observing as the girls moved with the crowd revolving around the fire until the lights were nothing but streaks around her, but it all came to a stunned hault. Inuyasha followed her gaze to where Lord Masao was sitting at the edge of the dancing circle on a modest blanket, surrounded by his men. Their faces were rosy with gifted sake, their laughter loud and boisterous. It made her stomach churn. Behind them, Captain Yorino stood with his back straight and his hands clasped behind his back as he observed the merriment and refused to take part in it. For just a moment, Masao’s gaze flickered up to Kagome. The way he looked at her, even at that distance, made something primal in Inuyasha seethe. It lasted only a heartbeat. When Inuyasha looked back at Kagome, she was looking back at him in turn.

Breaking off from the crowd, Kagome ran to Inuyasha and grabbed his hands. "Come on, dance with me!" she cheered, tugging him to his feet.

"What? No, Kagome, I don't- hey!" Inuyasha struggled to find an argument, his protest flying off his tongue as she pulled up him and dragged him into the circle.

Before he could refuse, she was dancing again, an unbalanced mess as she twirled and skipped with the flow of the crowd. When she noticed he was doing nothing but stumbling along behind her, trying to get himself out of this, she only laughed and took his hands again. Kagome beamed up at him as she spun the both of them, completely set apart from the other dancers. This was completely foreign to him, her guidance strange and like nothing he'd seen. But there was a gorgeous kind of innocence radiating about her, and soon enough, he was drawn in. Laughing at her turned into laughing with her as he let her lead, struggling just to keep up. Not a single glare or murmur of hate was sent his way, and even if there was, he wouldn't have noticed. All that existed in all the world was him and Kagome.

The music stopped on a final beat, but Kagome's momentum kept her going until she bumped into her dance partner's chest, his arms instantly wrapping around her to keep her steady. Laughing as she righted herself, she gazed up at Inuyasha with a breathless smile. He smiled back.

The pulse cut straight through the core of his being. A searing agony burst from the marrow of his bones, eating away at him with hellfire from within. It hit all at once, as if his skull had been run through with a burning pike. Inuyasha shoved Kagome away from him as his consciousness slipped from his grasp, a strangled yelp tearing from his throat.

Kagome froze. "Inuyasha?"

It all became too overwhelming; the people, the sound, the smells, the incessant flickering of light covering every inch of his surroundings. Inuyasha struggled to fill his lungs as fire and fury shot through his veins and engulfed every inch of him. He couldn't stop it. He knew it was coming, he could feel it happening, but he still wasn't able to recover his mind before it slipped into darkness. With an ethereal growl, the hanyou's head snapped up.

Kagome gasped, met with glowing ice-blue irises swimming in red. Fangs elongated, sickly violet markings crawling down his cheeks, she recognized it with a stab of pure terror. "Inuyasha?!"

He didn't respond. Roaring in unbridled fury, he lashed out against the nearest victim, slashing through the fence keeping the fire at bay. Bystanders screamed and fled from the dancing circle as it collapsed, the flames shooting into the sky. Kagome raised her arms to shield herself from the flash of hot embers and smoke, stumbling away with coughs shaking her frame. Before she could see clearly, Inuyasha's silhouette was leaping through the smoke, ripping through anything in his way. The ropes holding up his lanterns severed under his claws, falling in a crumpled heap. 

"Inuyasha, stop! What's wrong?!" Kagome shouted, running after him only to feel Sango's arms around her, holding her back.

"Kagome, no! He can't recognize us!" she pleaded, struggling to keep her hold on Kagome as the priestess fought to get closer to the hanyou. "Rin!” Sango shouted over her shoulder. “Take the children home!"

Sprinting toward them from the frantic crowd, the young girl skidded to a stop and looked back at Inuyasha. "But-"

"Go!"

Not far from them, Inuyasha let out a feral growl, echoing off the huts surrounding them. Rin's argument was cut short. Running to Miroku, she took Mamoru in her arms and held Umeko's hand with Sayuri latched onto her sister's. She did not look back again as she ran off, guiding them to safety.

Miroku watched them go with a silent prayer of protection before running to Sango and Kagome. Takuya stumbled through the stampede of terrified villagers running the opposite way to join them. "What happened? Why has he transformed?" Miroku asked urgently.

The old Priest stared at them in wild confusion. “What on earth has happened to him?!”

"I-I don't know, he just- we were dancing, and suddenly i-it was like he couldn't control it!" Kagome rambled in absolute panic, flinching at a blast of shattering wood. Eyes snapping to the transformed hanyou, she watched as he gripped his head and slammed himself against the wall of a nearby hut; the neighbouring home already lying in ruin. Over and over he threw himself back, locked in an internal struggle. He was fighting to gain control. "Inuyasha!" she screamed, slipping from Sango's hold long enough to escape. Sprinting across the dirt, she rushed to him despite Miroku and Sango's protests. She wasn't thinking clearly; all she knew was that he needed her.

But she couldn't get close before he threw her back with no reservation of strength.

Kagome skidded across the ground, ignoring the sting on her skin as she scrambled up on her hands and knees. Inuyasha's battle seemed to finally go quiet, and for a moment, she dared let herself believe that he won. Slowly, he lifted his head, staring back at her with no recognition in his demonic gaze. He took a step toward her. Kagome froze. Only the creaking of a bow being pulled back seemed to take Inuyasha's attention off of her. Spinning around in a lightening fast blur, his claws cut through an arrow before it could hit him, slicing it out of the air. He barred his teeth at the archer, finding that a group of men had taken their bows from their homes and returned to attack him. The moment the hanyou set his sights on them though, not another arrow was fired. They shrunk back in fear as Inuyasha stalked toward them, every step deliberate and predatory.

He was going to kill them. Without a second's hesitation, he was going to rip those men apart if she didn't do something _now_. Thinking quick, Kagome took in a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs, one she hadn't uttered in years.

_"OSUWARI!"_

The effect was immediate. The beads around Inuyasha's neck began to glow, diverting his attention and immobilizing him all at once. Even for all his strength as a transformed Youkai, he couldn't fight them as they dragged him toward the earth, his body gradually giving into the enchantment. In a blinding flash, he was slammed against the dirt, the sound slicing through the chaotic shouts around them. Only silence was left as a cloud of dirt settled in the air, dispersing on the wind to reveal Inuyasha collapsed on the ground. Groaning in agony, he lifted his head up, golden irises locking gazes with Kagome.

The village erupted into barked orders, Masao's men throwing ropes and nets over Inuyasha's body. His weakened struggling got him nowhere, eyes snapping back to Kagome in panic before he was dragged away.

"No!" Kagome cried, scrambling to her feet. She had barely the chance to run after them before the soldiers took hold of her from either side and held her back. "Let him go! Let him go, it wasn't his fault! _Inuyasha_!" Behind her, Miroku and Sango's shouts echoed with hers as they too were seized. The three of them were pushed forward, forced to watch from the far side.

Inuyasha grunted as he was unceremoniously shoved to the ground at Masao's feet. The Warlord didn't spare him a single glance as he held his head high and addressed the crowd. "My loyal people! I tried to warn you about the danger tolerating demons in your midst would bring you, and look what has become of it!" he gestured down to the panting hanyou. "This is a Monster playing as a Man! Open your eyes! Was it a coincidence that his claw markings were found destroying goods in the market? Was it a coincidence that he was the last one seen with your beloved late Priestess?!"

"He killed Lady Kaede!" A shout rose up from the crowd, spurring on manic cheers.

"This is a personal matter. I respect that," Lord Masao announced. "The decision is yours to make. What will you do with him?"

Their cries were unanimous. Waves upon waves of the same judgement rang out until the mountains quaked with their verdict. Destroy him. Exterminate him. _Kill him._

" _NO!_ " Kagome shrieked, struggling against her captors in wild desperation.

The clicks of loading guns were the only sounds to overpower the crowd's roar, the soldiers forming a circle around Inuyasha, barrels pointed to the sky as they waited for the command. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free of his bonds, he couldn't fight back. His power and strength were drained, and they weren't going to stop until he was dead.

Kagome didn't know why it caught her eyes in a moment like this, but it did. All at once stilling, she slowly looked up the hill to the distant shrine. With the massive flames behind them, two reflections glinted back at her. One, bright and clear, and the other beside it dull in comparison, the Sister Graves looked down on what was transpiring below and told Kagome exactly what she needed to do. They weren’t going to stop until he was dead. They would _never_ stop. Not until she gave them what they wanted. Standing apart from the crowd, Takuya followed her gaze, understanding settling on his worn face as he nodded his approval. His silent reassurance was all she needed. She could do this. She was ready.

"Wait!" Kagome screamed, watching Masao's hand pause in the air before he could give his men the order to fire. As his attention snapped to her, she stopped fighting against the soldiers holding her back. Kagome stood straight and matched his steady gaze. "If anyone is going to kill him, it's going to be me."

A hush fell over the village. Even the young Warlord's hand fell back to his side as all eyes turned to the Priestess. In her eyes, she gave away nothing, her cold stare telling him she meant every word. Miroku and Sango looked to her in stunned silence before exchanging a knowing glance, a silent trust that she was planning something.

With all the attention focused on her, Kagome continued. "The... the hanyou was a companion of mine for a long time, but I understand now what needs to be done. Consider it a final farewell. A fight on fair terms."

Lord Masao's face showed his honest concern. "You believe you can take him?"

"I know I can."

Shocked whispers burned at her ears, but Kagome paid them no mind, refusing to take her eyes off the Warlord. Finally, he gave a firm nod, gesturing for Kagome's captors to release her. A bow was wordlessly pushed into her hands by one of the men before she could even stand on her own, the quiver slung over her shoulder. "Release him from his bonds," she ordered.

Without question, the soldiers surrounding Inuyasha parted, only one stepping up to cut the netting. The rope fell in heaps to the ground. Inuyasha caught himself on his hands before he could fall forward. When he looked up at Kagome, though his eyes were tired and weak, there was no shock. There was no betrayal. Only deep trust.

Kagome would have broken down right there, but she forced herself to remain calm and distant as she notched an arrow to her bowstring. "No one interferes,” she announced.

Lord Masao nodded. "As you wish. The best of luck to you, Lady Kagome." The way he said it made it sound like a game, a hunt, but she knew his intentions. If she fell, he would have his men kill Inuyasha. She wouldn't let that happen.

Turning back to Inuyasha, she pulled the arrow back and aimed, whispering so quietly that only he could possibly hear. _"Run."_

And with that, she let go. The arrow stuck itself in the dirt where Inuyasha had been kneeling mere seconds before, the hanyou flipping backwards without half the grace of his full strength. The two of them were off in an instant, their mock battle captivating the villagers as they watched. Kagome aimed and fired arrow after arrow, always a second too late as Inuyasha evaded every shot. They were putting on a show, but Kagome knew Inuyasha wouldn't last much longer, and so she began to force him out of the village. Inuyasha took off running. Even at his weakened speed, there wasn’t a chance of her catching up.

Kagome ran to a nearby coral, where a cavalry horse had been tied for the evening. She hastily undid its bonds and clambered onto its back. The beast protested and whined, but with a tug on its reins, Kagome guided it onto the road leading out of the village. She chased Inuyasha across the rice paddies and into the forest until the blazing fire in the village was nothing but a dim glow. The moment she was out of sight, she stopped firing. At the edge of the forest, Kagome yanked on the reins again, forcing the horse into a skidding stop. When it reared back this time, she was thrown off, hitting the ground hard, the wind momentarily knocked out of her. The villagers and soldiers were following after them at a great distance. She had time, but not much of it. Forcing herself onto her feet, Kagome took off running into the forest, following flashes of crimson through the trees.

They both knew where they were going. Breaking through the trees and into the clearing, Inuyasha stumbled to a stop in front of the Sacred Tree, staring up at the branches looming overhead. At the sound of Kagome entering behind him, he turned to her with his back against the bark. He nodded solemnly in understanding of what they were about to do.

They had been here before.

Kagome skidded to a stop, her chest heaving for breath. The glow of the villagers following with torchlight behind began to glow through the trees. They didn't have time. Eyes locked, a tear slipped down her cheek. "I love you."

Inuyasha released a trembling breath. "I love you."

The moment the onlookers approached, he leapt at Kagome with a savage growl, claws tensed to strike. He didn't have the chance before the priestess pulled back on her bow and released a glowing white arrow. The head gave a sickening noise as it sank into his chest, the force of it pinning him to the bark of the Sacred Tree. His agonized shout was the only true part of their act, and it nearly killed her. As Kagome watched on in horror, Inuyasha succumbed to the spell, his body going limp against the tree.

The villagers said nothing at the sight they came upon, holding the slain Hanyou's own lanterns to see his corpse. Kagome looked back at them from over her shoulder, equally silent. One word and she knew she would have lost it. The crowd parted as Lord Masao entered the clearing, placing a gentle hand on Kagome's shoulder. "I am not a cold-hearted man. I know this must have been hard for you," he sighed. "But you'll come to realize that this is for the best. Sentimentality would have destroyed your home. He would have turned eventually. I'm just glad you saw the right path in time." Biting her lip, Kagome nodded, stomach-churning as she saw the Godstone hanging from his neck glowing a faint blue light. Lord Masao waited for her to respond, but soon picked up on what he assumed was her delicate state of mind. "I will give you some time to gather yourself."

Eventually, they all followed him out of the forest and back to the village, their cheers of celebration and victory fading with distance. Only two remained. Once they were alone, Sango crashed to her knees beside Kagome and pulled her into a tight embrace. That was all it took for her to break down, her body shaking with every sob. She knew she had done it to protect him, but that didn't make seeing Inuyasha's body pinned against Goshinboku in nothing but moonlight any less mortifying. Miroku knelt down beside them and rubbed comforting circles over Kagome's back, holding his wife in his other arm as they both stared at the tree. It was something they'd heard about in stories, of how the hanyou had been sealed until Kagome released him, sleeping for fifty years. Seeing it was completely different. Seeing it made them realize that it didn't look like he was sleeping; it appeared as if he were dead.

"W-We have to wait," Kagome managed to force out once she'd calmed down, pulling back to look at her friends. “We have to give it time.”

Miroku sighed in understanding. "Come on, let's get back. You can stay with us."

Kagome rose to her feet, wiping her face with her kimono sleeve. "Thank you." The last thing she wanted to do was leave Inuyasha there, but she knew well she couldn't stay. It would ruin their only chance. At the very least, she didn't have to sleep in her own hut. It was too close to the festival, and too empty without him. As Sango and Miroku began to make their way toward the edge of the clearing, waiting patiently for her to follow, Kagome took one last look at Inuyasha, her gaze rising to the branches spreading out in a canopy above him.

"Please... protect him, Kaede."


	12. Chapter 12

The streets of the village were covered in ash and scattered debris for days following the festival. Ripped paper decorations lay in muddy puddles of rain and spilt sake, shattered wood from the ruined houses sunken into the softened earth, and the charred remains of the fire pit blackened the ground dark charcoal. Everyone was too busy celebrating in the following days to bother cleaning up. Their newfound Lord had shown them the light and banished the demon tainting their homes. Their village was pure and clean, for all they cared to look around them.

Kagome could hardly pass through the village without feeling grime caked onto her skin, but every day, she did. She walked the blackened streets with her eyes staring blankly ahead until she made it to the torii gates leading up to the Shrine. Whispers followed after her, even as she swept around the graves and altars. The villagers came to their own conclusions for her behaviour; that she refused to stay in her own hut until it was cleansed of _That Hanyou's_ presence, and so stayed with the Monk and the Slayer. According to them, the cold stare in her eyes was clarity. According to them, she had completed her fate by killing _That Hanyou_ in the same way her predecessor had failed to do. According to them, there was no doubt that she had killed him. They trusted her completely, believed that the Sacred Tree would absorb ' _That Hanyou's'_ body and leave not a single trace. 

That was the lie she fed them in the days following the festival. Those that knew better knew enough to stay silent.

It was no different that day, one week after the festival. Kagome hardly said a word as she cleaned up around the shrine. It had been a miserable, overcast day, the clouds shrouding any hope of sunlight. In all honesty, she’d hardly noticed. She absorbed herself in the simple task of dragging her broom across the stone, brushing away dead leaves and twigs. Every so often, her gaze would naturally gravitate to the forest beyond the village.

"If you sweep anymore out there, the stone may turn to sand," Takuya called out to her as he emerged from the altar house. Kagome jumped, the broom clattering to the ground as she spun around. She had forgotten he was even up here. He’d spent the better part of the afternoon inside the modest Shrine, cleaning away dust and ash from spent incense. Offering a smile, he laid a hand on her shoulder. "It is getting late. You should settle down for the evening."

Kagome bit her lip until her memories pushed a phantom thumb against her mouth and her heart burned. "No, I'm fine. I want to finish cleaning up here," she insisted as she stooped down to pick up her broom.

"Let me rephrase that," Takuya sighed. "Masao's Men are being summoned at their fortress in the mountains to receive news on their brother armies. Not a single soldier will be outside the fortress walls tonight.” Kagome frowned, turning toward the distant walls of the fortress up the mountainside. Sure enough, the drums were a fading echo, and the flickering line of torches had long since begun retreating up the face. "So,” Takuya continued, “perhaps you should settle down for the evening. While it's still peaceful. If you can't sleep, you could always take a walk through the forest. I believe it may be time."

Kagome's eyes snapped up to meet his, startled to find the deep and unspoken understanding in his gaze. The old Priest nodded, silently confirming her suspicions. "How did you-"

"I am not quite the old fool you take me for." Takuya smiled warmly, his focus trailing down to the Sister Graves. "Not quite, anyway." His calloused palm reached out to rest on the smooth, polished stone of Kaede's grave.

Kagome watched him, a confused frown pulling at her features. Looking around the hilltop shrine, her grip on the broom tightened. "I just want to finish cleaning..." she murmured.

The priest gently took her by the arm and guided her to the steps leading down into the village streets. An ashen haze seemed to settle over it as the evening drew nearer, and the afternoon breezes died. The heavy smog seeped between the houses and debris, swallowing everything in a damp grime. "Kagome, this shrine is the only thing clean in the entire village. If that's all you can do, it's enough for now."

"It's _not_ enough!" Kagome argued, throwing her broom to the ground with a sharp clatter that echoed off the hill. She sank down to sit on the first step, drawing her knees into her chest as she stared down at the dim aftermath of the festival. "...I don't know what to do, Takuya," she admitted in a small voice. "I tried to stop it but their opinions of Inuyasha were so easily changed. I can't even tell if they had ever been accepting of him in the first place or just waiting for an opportunity like this."

"It's hard to say," Takuya grunted as he lowered himself down to sit next to his pupil. Kagome let her head drop against his shoulder with a heavy sigh. He welcomed her with an open arm, squeezing her shoulder. "Though it seems as if this may only be the start of a much bigger problem."

Kagome glared up at him with a miserable pout. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Takuya laughed. "No. This is." Turning his gaze to the forest Kagome had been fixated on, he continued. "We do not know what is coming, but we know there will be a storm. So, if it is the only thing you can do now, keep your holy places clean. When the storm comes, rain has a way of washing all the rest."

Distant thunder rolled in the mountains but refused to spill into the valley. Kagome's arms wrapped around her abdomen. "...I think I'm going to go settle down for the evening," she whispered.

Takuya smiled and squeezed her shoulder. "I think that is 's a wonderful idea." Rising to his feet, he picked up her broom and carried it back to the altar house, humming a familiar tune as he went. Kagome, about to stand and make her way down into the village, froze as she listened to him.

"Takuya, what is that?" she asked in a sudden rush, dashing back to catch up with him.

The Priest was visible startled. "Hm? What's what?"

"That song you were just humming, what is it?"

He frowned, wondering what on earth had gotten her so worked up about an old tune. "Oh, that? It is a song my cousin used to sing. I suppose I've forgotten the words, but she used to sing it all the time." Kagome's gaze flickered back to the new, polished gravestone. Takuya followed it and chuckled under his breath, sending her a bright wink. "Yes, Kaede was my cousin,” he confirmed her unspoken suspicion. “Why else do you think I came all this way to train you? And how I knew about your plan?" When Kagome didn't answer, didn't even tear her eyes away from the old Priestess' grave, he began to worry. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," Kagome answered, shaking herself out of her daze. "I guess I... just never really thought about Kaede having other family."

"She and her sister did not have much else. But that's a story I'll save for another day." Takuya looked toward the setting sun over the hills. "It's getting late."

Leaving her unanswered questions behind, Kagome bowed to Takuya with a muttered "Thank you," before turning and descending into the village. The first step onto the ashen mud sent a shiver up her spine, but she walked on, passing through the village with her eyes ahead of her and her head held high so she wouldn't have to see the wreckage. The houses Inuyasha destroyed still laid in ruin, and she knew that if she looked down she would find the markings on the ground where they had dragged Inuyasha away; she did not look, but she was no less aware of it all.

When she finally made it to the paths between the rice paddies, the scent of burnt wood finally faded behind her. Kagome paused under a tree on the bank and took a deep breath, trying not to remember the day she'd caught Inuyasha perched up in the branches after following her. It was a sweet memory, but not the ones that came soon after it. Breaking her from her reverie, the sound of light footsteps hurrying toward her caught her attention. Rin slowed as she reached her, hesitant and gentle in her approach. "Sango and I just finished dinner, Kagome, if you're hungry."

Offering the girl her hand, Kagome then offered a smiled that didn't quite reach her eyes, figuring there was at least one real thing she could give her. "That sounds perfect. What did you make?"

Rin's face lit up as she clasped Kagome's hand. "We made stew the way Kaede taught me! Sango cut most of the ingredients, but then Mamoru was getting upset, so I put everything in and stirred, and I didn't burn it this time!" she rambled as the two of them began the short journey across the field. Kagome listened, content to let Rin do all of the talking.

Under the torii gate at the top of the hill, Takuya watched the two young women retreat toward the forest hand in hand. The vision was like something out of a dream, or a story he'd heard long ago. He couldn't really remember it anymore, but he knew that the Priestess and the girl walking side by side was a sight his cousin would have loved to see; and did it ever make him feel old.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kagome slipped out of her futon in the dead quiet of the night. She padded lightly across the floor, afraid that one movement would wake Rin, Sango, Miroku, or their children. Holding her breath as she slid the shoji door back, she stepped out into the cool twilight and shut the door behind her. The sky was littered with stars and the moon was full and bright. Just enough to light her way. A piercing moment of guilt struck her chest. Should she tell Miroku and Sango what she was about to do? Would they want to be there too? Would they feel betrayed that they weren't? As quickly as the thoughts came, she pushed them away. There was no time for second-guessing. She was putting her life on the line, they didn't have to put themselves in danger too.

Stepping off the porch, Kagome stopped before the wooded path and tried to orientate herself. Getting lost in the forest in the middle of the night wasn't something she could afford, but she was fairly confident she remembered the way from there. One foot into the trees, though, and her nerves already got the better of her. Something moved behind her, low huffs of panted breath forcing a shiver down her spine as she whirled around to face her adversary; Jun and Kei trotted toward her, their ears alert and eyes glowing in the pale light. Kagome cringed and tried to wave them away. "No, shoo! Go back inside, go lay down with Rin, go!" she hissed, only to groan under her breath when Kei stuck her face against her hand and licked her palm. "Alright, alright, fine."

In the end, having the dogs with her as she made her way through the dark forest eased her nerves. They trotted at her side, sometimes running ahead or falling behind but always following the same path. Every twitch of their ears made her jump, the fear of being seen pushing her faster and faster through the thick foliage.

When she at last broke through the trees, she found herself in a wide glade stretching from the distant village and into the rolling hills beyond. Her view was clear in the moonlight as the clouds finally dissipated. Despite the vast space, her attention narrowed down to one singular feature. The dogs passed it without a care, but she couldn't help herself from stopping and running her hand over the aged wood of the Bone Eater’s Well. Even in the pale moonlight, she couldn't see the bottom, as she peered down. The walls of the well turned from wood to stone to dirt and vines as it went deeper, seemingly never-ending. Kagome's hands gripped the wooden planks until they creaked beneath her fists. This it where it all started. A dried-up old well had brought her here. Slowly lifting her gaze, she stared at the one tree rising above all others in the forest ahead. From there, it was just retracing old footsteps.

Kagome walked in a trance through the bushes, pushing away the branches and stepping over roots until she’d finally made it into the clearing. Like a dream, he was there, pinning against the trunk. Inuyasha's head rested against his shoulder, his body limp and his face tranquil as the twilight breeze played through his hair and robes. Only now devoid of weathered old roots growing up to cradle him, it was exactly as she had found him all those years ago. Kagome could not help but stop and stare for a moment.

She approached the tree with fearful reverence. This was a living being so ancient she could hardly comprehend it. Her fate was entirely in its hands. Stopping before Inuyasha’s lifeless body, she gently lifted her trembling hand to cup his cheek. His skin was still warm. Her other hand fell upon his chest, where the arrow had pierced, quickly drawing away when her fingers brushed the wood. She could still feel the energy radiating from the arrow, an electric shock surging through her fingertips. As a tear trailed down her cheek, Kagome gathered her courage, took hold of the arrow, and pulled, feeling it give away and crumble into dust in a burst of light. Biting her lip, her shut her eyes and dropped her head in a prayer. This would work. It had have worked. She couldn’t bare to think what would happen otherwise. It wasn't until she felt the pad of a thumb against her mouth, releasing her lip from her teeth, that her eyes shot open again.

Inuyasha came too slowly, slipping down the trunk of the tree without the arrow to hold him up. He groaned, eyelids tensing before fluttering open. Kagome held back a sob or relief, trying to help down gently when he was so obviously still in pain. His eyes met hers in the pale starlight filtering in from the leaves as they gradually regained their clarity. Without a moment's hesitation, they both moved. Kagome threw her arms around his neck and Inuyasha held her tear-stained face in his hands, bringing their lips together. It wasn't a wildly desperate kiss, or a passionate one. It didn't make their hearts pound or their hands shakes. It was soft, and comforting, and it was all it needed to be.

When they finally pulled away, Inuyasha wiped her tears away with his palms against her cheeks before looking out to the forest behind her. He had no sense of time passing, Kagome could tell, watching his dower expression as if he expected to see the villagers just now retreating back to their festival. Kagome shook her head, and he knew. "How long?" he asked, finding his throat dry and raw.

Kagome reached up with her kimono sleeve to wipe away another wave of tears. "I-It's been a week...” she confessed. “I'm sorry, I didn't want to leave you here for so long, but I couldn't let them suspect. I-I didn't want to do it, I'm so sorry!" she finally broke down, burying her face against his chest.

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her, cradling her head against him as he took a moment to bury his own face in her hair. She could feel his breath against the crown of her head, the way it quivered as his arms tightened around her. "It's okay, Kagome. I know,” he hushed, his voice so soft and understanding it nearly made her start crying all over again. Going through that had been hell for her, she couldn’t imaging what reliving it had been for him. When he pulled away, a fiery resolve had taken the place of any trauma or grief. "Come on, we're leaving, “he grunted, finally pulling away to take her hand. He only got two steps before he felt Kagome slip her hand out of his. He turned back to her in clear confusion.

Kagome couldn't bare to meet his gaze. "Inuyasha... I have to stay."

There was no hesitation in his response. "Then I am too,” he insisted.

"No! No, Inuyasha, you _have_ to leave, they'll kill you if you don't!" Kagome pleaded as she rushed forward to take both his hands.

Inuyasha shook his head, pulling her back into his arms. "Kagome, if you think for a fucking _second_ that I'm leaving you here with them, you’ve absolutely lost your mind," he growled.

"No, you don't understand!" Kagome cried, her teary gaze flickering up to the branches above them. " _Goshinboku_ **.** If Masao believes I betrayed the village, he'll _destroy_ the Sacred Tree. If he does, it will have never existed in my era, the connection that brought me here will be broken." Reaching up to rest her hands over his chest, she could feel the way his heart was racing with the realization of what she was saying. "Inuyasha... without the Sacred Tree, _I will never have met you._ "

That seemed to strike a chord within him. Inuyasha stared down at her, trying to form some sort of argument, his mouth open and silent. Before he could even think to speak, Jun's bark of warning broke through the midnight silence. Inuyasha's attention snapped up to the forest, his own ears mirroring the dog's, high in alert. Kagome didn't have the chance to react before he'd suddenly swept her off her feet and leapt into the branches, jumping higher and higher until they could no longer be seen from the ground. Holding her securely at his side, Inuyasha pushed the leaves back so she could see the forest floor. Kagome held her breath, her fingers tightly gripping his kimono. Her mind was already reeling - she’d spent the entire night at Sango and Miroku’s, someone must have been waiting to follow her outside, or listening at the Shrine when she was speaking with Takuya, they’d been found _they’d been found-_

A rabbit hopped into the clearing. Both Inuyasha and Kagome let out a breath of intense relief before exchanging a glance. It was only then that the reality of their situation truly began to sink its teeth into them. This kind of paranoia was not going to go away until this was over. Being caught could mean death for both of them.

With no sign of any danger, Inuyasha brought them back down to the ground, landing deftly in the thick grass. He reluctantly set Kagome on her feet, silencing the dogs with one look before their barking drew unwanted attention. Jun and Kei shrunk under his gaze.

Kagome watched them before nuzzling her forehead against the hanyou's neck. "I don't want you to leave," she whispered. "I don't want to be separated again, but I'd rather that than to have never met you at all." She realized with a bittersweetness how much those words contrasted something she'd said years ago. _"If I knew it was going to hurt this much, I wish I never laid eyes on him."_ Oh, how wrong she had been.

"I don't like this," Inuyasha grumbled, his voice deep as she heard it vibrating through his chest.

She should have known he was going to put up a fight about this. As long as he believed she was in danger, he would never leave her. So, she had to make him see her point. "Inuyasha..." she started solemnly, "you know what they'll do to me if they find out I didn't kill you."

Inuyasha gritted his teeth at the very idea. He knew as well as she did. He was putting her in more danger by refusing to leave, than leaving her in the hands of his enemies. It was only then he seemed to accept that they needed to do this. "It won't be permanent," he finally gave in. "I'll figure something out. I'm going to fix this Kagome, I promise."

" _We_ will," she nodded.

Despite their resolution, doubt and fear clouded Inuyasha's eyes as he gazed beyond her to the mountains he was exiling himself to. "But... I can't just not see you, Kagome..."

Stopping herself from biting her lip, Kagome searched her mind for a solution until an unnaturally cool breeze rolled through the clearing. The branches of the tree above them swayed, the overturned leaves rustling erratically. The hair on the back of Kagome's neck stood on end. Inuyasha noticed the change in her and followed her gaze.

The gentle voice of a young woman humming a familiar song echoed from the tree itself, haunting the air as it swirled around them. A gasp drew from Kagome's lips as she spotted the lantern that had gotten caught in the branches so long ago swaying with the wind. "Light me a lantern..." she whispered.

Inuyasha's brows furrowed. "What?"

"The song!” Kagome exclaimed, looking back to him. “Inuyasha, light me a lantern! Whenever you can return, set off a Sky Lantern and I'll meet you here!"

Inuyasha didn't respond immediately, but the understanding sunk into his gaze as it flitted from the tree to the priestess. It was not a foolproof plan, but it was all they had. Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, but the agreement went silent. All at once, his eyes snapped up, and his ears flickered toward the forest. There was no paranoid mistake this time. His hold around her tightened. "Someone's coming."

Kagome looked back over her shoulder, growing desperate in mounting panic. "Inuyasha, you have to go!"

Conflict seeped into his expression, the overwhelming need to protect her battling against what he knew was the only way to protect her. In the end, he had no choice. "I'll come back for you,” he vowed, “and you had _better_ be okay when I do." Cradling her head in his hands, he crushed their lips together, the feeling of her hands feebly trying to pull him closer while they still had time nearly breaking his resolve. It was all he could do to break away, not daring to look back as he jumped into the trees and ran away.

One moment Kagome was kissing him with all she had, and the next her lips were cold. Watching as a flash of crimson disappeared in the darkness, she was left feeling empty and alone. It was more painful than she ever could have imagined, but she didn't have long to dwell on it. The footsteps came closer.

"Kagome!" The voice of a young girl was the last thing she expected. Kagome turned to the forest to find Rin struggling through the bushes until she broke free. "I woke up and you were gone, I got worried. I thought you might be here," she confessed as she stumbled to a hault.

Smiling with a sigh of relief, Kagome turned back to the forest. "Inuyasha, it's okay! It was just Rin!" she called out. He must have been too weak after the affects of her spell to catch her scent, she reasoned to herself. "Inuyasha! Inu... Inuyasha?" Only another breeze answered her calls. He was already gone.

Rin stepped up to her side, staring from the empty tree to the forest ahead of them. "Inuyasha? Where is he?" she asked.

Hope draining from her heart and leaving her exhausted, Kagome stared longingly at the forest before kneeling down to Rin. "He's... he's safe, that's all that matters,” she smiled. "But you can't tell anyone that, okay? Rin, you _have_ to promise not to breathe a word of this to any of the villagers."

As confused as she was, Rin understood enough to realize how dangerous this was. Crossing her fingers over her heart, she nodded. "I promise."

"Good." With one last look behind her, Kagome rose to her feet and offered Rin her hand. "What do you say we go back home tonight?"

"Okay!" Rin chirped excitedly, clearly eager to sleep in the home she'd known for the past three years again. The girl took her hand, practically skipping at Kagome's side. For all she knew, Inuyasha was okay, and there was nothing to worry about anymore. Kagome couldn’t share in her happiness, because she knew that reality was so much more complicated than that. Still, with Rin swinging their arms and sending her constant smiles, she supposed she could at least be grateful. Inuyasha was safe, and she knew they would find a way to be together again. It was only the time in between that seemed so daunting.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The next morning seemed to pick up right where life left off before this mess began; with a bucket of water dumped on her head. Kagome groan and pulled her blanket over her head, searching for any dryness under the soaked cloth. With the sudden commotion, the dogs barked and jumped at the intruding priest’s legs. Takuya tried to wave them away with his bucket, only to have Kei think of it as a game and snatch the handle right out of his hands.

"Hey! Give that back!" he protested, chasing after the her and the half-full bucket. He had planned on using the rest to wake Rin, but it seemed that a dog running around clutching the unsteady handle in its mouth was more than enough to spill some onto the sleeping girl. Rin's glare when she sat up with a dishevelled bedhead was enough to make Takuya fear for his life. Now he knew what Inuyasha had been talking about when he warned him about waking her up.

Seeing Takuya's reaction to Rin's death glare, Kagome couldn't help but laugh as she wrung the water out of her hair. "Takuya, do we _really_ have to do this today?" she sighed.

Slowly backing away from Rin as she girl sunk back into her futon, Takuya returned his attention to Kagome. "It's almost noon, I let you sleep in! What more could you ask for?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "A day off, maybe?"

Takuya shrugged. "Not a chance, too much to do today! Besides," His voice took a softer tone, "you can't sleep your days away forever. Life goes on, and so must you."

Sighing in defeat, Kagome rose from her futon and stretched her arms over her head. "Okay, okay, you're right." As tempting as it was, staying inside and feeling sorry for herself until Inuyasha came back would only make their separation more unbearable. At the very least, she could keep busy.

"That's the spirit!" Takuya cheered a little too loudly, receiving a bucket thrown at the back of his legs for disturbing the girl trying to sleep in the corner. "Anyway, the village is buzzing with praise for you! Apparently someone had wandered into the forest this morning and found that your prediction came true. The body of _That Hanyou_ has been absorbed by the tree."

So they believed her. Kagome offered Takuya a secretive smile. "What a relief."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Inuyasha had spent years living on his own, fending for himself in the wilderness. It wasn't a difficult pattern to fall back into. What was difficult was the longing and homesickness he felt for a dry hut, a warm fire, and a young woman's laughter. He'd grown so accustomed, even over the time she had been away, to living in a human village that sleeping in the branches of some tree in a vast forest was a poor comparison.

It had been two nights since he was forced to leave Kagome behind, and the distance wasn't making the separation any easier. It was taking every ounce of will power not to turn back. The only thing keeping him from going back was the knowledge of what the village would do to them should he be seen. As much as he hated to say it, that crystal had dangerous power over him, and if it was used on him again like it was at the festival... he couldn't even think of what he could be forced to do. It was enough to keep him going.

On that second night, he arrived at his intended destination - the only promise was locating the place itself. It was difficult to find what he was looking for when he knew it was going to be hidden. Still, there were a few key hints he knew he'd stumble upon. As Inuyasha's final day of travel drew to a close, the sun setting ahead of him and glaring its last golden rays through the trees, he found one of those hints in the form of am an inconspicuous bowl of dumplings sitting innocently in the middle of the path. The steam was still rolling off of it in fresh waves, and although he was a little sick of eating fire-charred salamander, he knew better. Approaching the bowl, he kicked it over, watching the dumplings explode and disappear as they hit the dirt.

A loud string of protests met him from behind, but before they could sneak up on him, Inuyasha spun around and stuck out with his fist, striking each floating apparition on the head. Four kitsune fell to the ground at his feet.

"Damn it! We were so close!" one of them cried.

"I told you we needed to work harder on our traps!"

"No, it was our disguises!"

"They were _your_ idea!"

"All of you, shut up!" Inuyasha growled, curling his hand into a threatening fist again. "I'm looking for someone and you're going to tell me where he is."

A looming presence appeared from behind in a blinding flash of light. "You are trespassing on Fox Demon territory."

Inuyasha tensed, looking back over his shoulder to find a group of adult kitsune approaching from what appeared to be an ordinary inn, where moments ago there had only been the vast forest. The younger demons scuttled behind them, crying for their teachers to do something.

Inuyasha snarled, turning slowly toward them. "I'm not _trespassing_ anywhere. I'm just looking for someone."

A broad-shouldered demon stepped forward, towering over him with a stern glare. "You are not welcome here, _hanyou,_ " he spat the word like venom, but Inuyasha didn't flinch, his gaze steady and unmoved by the demon's obvious prejudice.

Still, it was all he could do not to lash out when the younger kitsune burst into an uproar of laughter and leapt into the air. They transformed into odd shapes, throwing smock bombs of foul smells at him while chanting _"Hanyou! Hanyou! Hanyou!"_ Finally losing his cool. Inuyasha growled and swiped wildly at them through the blinding to his senses.

"Wait!" a voice broke through the gathering crowd. "Stop it guys, that's my friend! I know him! Inuyasha!"

When the smoke finally cleared, Inuyasha found a familiar child standing at his feet with his arms out wide as if he could protect him. Inuyasha nearly didn’t recognize him - he’d _grown,_ taken on the size of a human child. Still, there was no mistaking the copper red hair and fox trail. "It's about damn time Shippo,” Inuyasha huffed.

Shippo glared back at him. "I'm trying to help here!"

"Shippo,” the demon that had first confronted Inuyasha barked. "You know this hanyou?"

Shippo's glare switched to the elder and narrowed. "His name is Inuyasha, Master Kenta. He's my friend."

The kitsune grunted, lip curling as he turned sharply back toward the Monastery. "Then he may stay." He didn't exactly sound enthusiastic about it, but that he was willing to extend even a small bit of hospitality was enough to satisfy Inuyasha for the moment. He had more important things to worry about. The other fox demons, both teachers and students, soon after began to file back inside the school, leaving Inuyasha and Shippo standing outside in the glow of the lights spilling from each window and doorway.

"What gives, Inuyasha?" Shippo huffed as he turned around to face him. Inuyasha gave nothing away, but as he looked the young demon up and down, he still found himself shocked that Shippo had suddenly decided to shed his smaller form. Of course, size or form wasn't a great change when dealing with a shapeshifter, but it still struck Inuyasha how the Old Priestess' death must have affected him. Of course, some things hadn't changed. "It's just like you to start a commotion like this. You're interrupting my traini-"

"Oh, save it, runt," Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Listen, I need your help, so will you listen or not?"

Shippo crossed his arms over his chest, mocking the hanyou's eye roll. "You need _my_ help. Yeah, right."

"Kagome's in danger, do you _really_ think I'd joke about this?!" Inuyasha snapped.

That seemed to get the boy’s attention. "What?"

Getting mad at the kid was going to get him nowhere. Letting out a long breath, Inuyasha crouched down to Shippo's level. "I'm telling you this Man to Man, alright? I know not much news gets to you here up in the mountains, but down there things are getting rough. I’ll explain it to you later but... it's getting dangerous for demons. There are things we've never faced before, and if they see me anywhere near Kagome, they'll kill us both. So, I'm going to need your help to fix this, got that?"

Standing just a little straighter, Shippo nodded. "Got it. Do you... wanna come inside for the night?"

Inuyasha looked behind Shippo to the glowing doors of the Inn. "I'm not so sure how welcome I really am in there."

"Don't worry about it!" Shippo grinned in a way that so clearly mirror Inuyasha's own cocky smirk. "I'm kind of a big deal here, they won't try anything as long as you're with me!"

Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh at that. He'd been a bad influence on him after all. "Fine, whatever." He gave in.

Shippo beamed in excitement, scurrying off ahead of him with eagerness to show him around. Inuyasha rose to his feet and followed at his own pace, hands stuffed in his sleeves as he glared challengingly at the guards standing by the doors. Truth be told, he didn't exactly need Shippo's help. He wouldn't have come all this way to ask a kitsune child for help in such a risky struggle. Inuyasha had come here to protect him. There was danger coming, he hadn't lied about that, but until he could figure out how to meet it head-on, the only thing he _could_ do was make certain it never reached Shippo. 

"So, why ask me?" Shippo asked as they entered the Inn.

Inuyasha shrugged. "I'm low on resources."

"Jackass!"

"Don't _fucking_ swear, runt!"


	13. Chapter 13

_A crack of thunder._

_The world melted in hues of blood red around her, and suddenly she was standing on a beach. The orange cliffs rose up behind her. Kagome felt the warm water lapping at her bare feet as she starred out over the vast ocean. Foreboding black clouds boiled over the horizon, wisps slowly being drawn into the eclipse above. She could almost feel her soul lifting higher and higher into the slowly swirling void of the black moon, like it wanted to leave her body on the sandy shore. A humid breeze pushed strands of hair in her face._

_Turning away from the endless ocean, Kagome looked behind her to the shore, her heart dropping as she caught sight of Inuyasha laying motionless in the sand, his black hair splayed out around him like a veil. She shouted his name, her voice swallowed by the eclipse and soundless, as she tore across the beach._

Kagome jolted awake before she could reach him. Her heart was still racing as she stared at the weathered boards of her cieling. The sun was just minutes away from cresting over the eastern horizon, the faint blue light casting shadows through the doormat and onto her walls. Kagome spent several minutes just staring at the light as it inched across the wood, reassuring herself that this was real, that she was awake, and not racing across the redlit beach. Closing her eyes, she sighed through her nose and sat upright on her futon, soon after picking up what had awoken her. She could hear Takuya's sandals against the gravel and dirt outside her hut. _Oh no, not today._ Kagome scrambled out of bed and up to her feet. The moment her teacher walked in to see her already awake, he lowered the bucket of water he had been carrying. Kagome smiled back at him. "Are you disappointed?"

Takuya turned away to hide his pout. "Of course not! This just means you're finally waking up early enough."

Kagome shook her head as she stretched her arms over her head, the last fleeting images of her dream slipping away. "Sure, sure, of course," she mocked. "We'll be out in a few minutes."

Takuya paused, glaring at her like he wanted to scold her for mocking him, but in the end only nodded and left through the door. Kagome waited until he was gone to start getting ready for the day. With her moving around, it wasn't long before the dogs woke up and starting whining impatiently at Rin, nudging and licking her to coax her awake. It was the same routine every morning. Rin would eventually pull herself out from under the warmth of her blankets, and join Kagome in getting dressed and washed up. Once they finished, they would head up the hill to the shrine, join Takuya for a light breakfast at the top of the steps, and then get to work.

This had been her life for the past two weeks, and today was no different. As the two young women stepped out into the early morning, they shivered at the cold and ran up to the shrine, eager for Takuya's warm jasmine tea. Brisk winds were coming down from the mountains, the sea of leaves changing colours in waves. Autumn was coming.

Finally making it to the Shrine, Kagome and Rin were both pleased to see Takuya waiting with rice, persimmons, and tea. The three of them sat on the steps and watched the sun rise over the mountains while they ate, as they did every morning. Rin was eager to get her breakfast down so she could move on to the next exciting thing, Takuya ate at his own pace, occasionally scolding Rin for inhaling her food, and Kagome hardly touched hers. The tea cup sat in her lap, the steam slowly rolling over the edge as it cooled, her rice and persimmon forgotten at her side. Eating was the last thing on her mind.

Takuya watched her from the corner of his vision, as she stared out at the horizon. The sun's light glowed against her skin as it rose, but she didn't seem to welcome its warmth. Kagome's expression saddened with each moment, mourning the passing night. Another sunrise meant another day of dealing with Lord Masao and his men, and another night that Inuyasha didn't return. Her eyes flickered between the retreating darkness and the forest. Her hope was tangible in the quiver of her gaze, willing that a lantern would rise above the trees. But within minutes, the sky was far too vibrant, and it was far too late.

Kagome closed her eyes and exhaled that last sliver of hope through her lips.

"Kagome, your breakfast is getting cold," Takuya informed her when he felt she would actually respond.

Seeming to snap out of a daze she didn't realize she was in, Kagome looked down at her food and cringed. "Oh, sorry," she quickly apologized as she took a sip of her tea and put it down to take up her rice. Thankfully, it was still just warm enough.

"Don't give it another thought," Takuya replied in understanding. "Rin, why don't you get starting on sweeping?" He diverted his attention to the younger girl, giving her a pointed look that suggested she not to argue. Glancing between him and Kagome, she gave in and nodded, heading toward the Shine house to fetch the broom. Once she was busy, Takuya turned back to Kagome. "You're worried about him."

"Of course I am," Kagome whispered in fear of being overheard by a wandering villager in the street below. "It's been two weeks, and he hasn't come back yet. I knew it would have to be a while, so we didn't raise suspicion, but... I never thought it would be so hard," she laughed bitterly and shook her head. "You know, before I decided to become a priestess here, I was separated from him for three years... I thought that would be the hardest thing I'd ever go through. I even thought that it would make this separation easier, but the fact that he's out there, and I could go to him if I weren't trapped here... I don't know. I suppose it's a different kind of pain."

Takuya was at a loss for words, something that rarely ever happened to him. "You're doing the right thing Kagome,” he struggled to reassure her. “The right thing just isn't always easy."

"Don't I know that," Kagome sighed.

Any further conversation was interrupted by a frantic woman running up the stone steps to the Shrine. She paused under the torii gate, bowing low in front of the Priest and Priestess. "Forgive me Lady Kagome, but my son caught a fever overnight. He's still very young, could you come see him?"

Feeling pity for the frantic mother, Kagome nodded and rose to her feet, biding one last goodbye to the night as it was chased away by pink and golden hues. "Of course.,” she smiled. “Show me the way."

Kagome followed her down the hill and into the village, reminding herself that this was the life she'd chosen. She wanted to be a Priestess, to help the people that came to her, to become stronger in her spiritual powers. This just wasn't exactly how she pictured it. She couldn't let herself wonder if she'd have chosen this life if Inuyasha wasn't in the picture; it was a dangerous road she wasn't willing to go down. None of it mattered now. This was her reality, and she would face it. Besides, seeing the little boy's face light up when she walked into the hut was enough to get her by.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

His claws sliced clean through the wooden top flying toward his head. Inuyasha backflipped out of the way, landing in the branches of a tree, as the toy joined back together and slammed into the ground in a cloud of dirt. Through the cloud, a dark figure lunged at him. He reached out and grabbed the attacker by his bushy tail before he had the chance to strike.

"Ow! Inuyasha, let go!" Shippo protested as he hung defeated from Inuyasha's grip.

Inuyasha shrugged, dropping the kitsune without a second's hesitation. "Suit yourself."

Having forgotten about their height in the tree, Shippo didn't have the chance to backtrack his demand before he was falling mercilessly toward the forest floor, scrapped by twigs and branches until he finally hit the unforgiving dirt. Growling under his breath as he sat up and rubbed his sore head, he glared at Inuyasha. "That's fighting dirty!" he complained.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he leapt down from the tree and landed in a crouch beside Shippo. "Doesn't matter, you still lost," he grunted.

"But it wasn't fair!" Shippo argued.

"You think that's going to mean shit in a real fight?” the hanyou arched his brow as he questioned the young fox demon. “Like a demon trying to tear your spine out is gonna give you a do over because 'it wasn't fair'?"

Shippo stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest. "No... but you already know all of my tricks!"

"Then come up with new ones. You can't rely on the same old toys and tricks forever. Sooner or later, someone's going to use them against you."

"Shippo," the Chief Kitsune of the school stood at the edge of the clearing between the MOnastery and the forest, his hands clasped behind his back as he called out to his pupil. "It is time for dinner. Come inside."

"Uh, yes Master Kenta." Shippo quickly scrambled to his feet, dusting off his dirty clothes as he ran toward his teacher. He only paused halfway when he realized Inuyasha wasn't following. He'd risen to his feet, keeping a steady eye on Kenta as he straightened up. The elder Kitsune didn't break his gaze. Shippo bit his lip, a habit he seemed to have picked up from Kagome. "Inuyasha? Are you coming?"

Master Kenta scoffed, doing a poor job in concealing that Inuyasha wasn't welcome to dine with the rest of the Kitsune. He hadn't let him eat with them since the moment he arrived. His presence was a nuisance, and he made that sentiment perfectly clear. Inuyasha was never one to stay somewhere he wasn’t wanted - evidence to his current predicament.

"You go ahead Shippo," Inuyasha called to him without breaking his glare away from Kenta. "I'm not hungry."

Shippo hesitated, but one glance from his teacher had him shrinking back and scurrying inside. Inuyasha watched him go, waiting until he was out of sight before striding toward the elder Kitsune. "I know you don't want me here, and honestly, I don't want to be here either. But I'm not leaving that kid, and I'm not making him leave. So, you're just going to have to learn how to deal with me, got that?" he growled. This confrontation may have been unwarranted, afterall Kenta hadn't said or done anything to trigger it, but Inuyasha had never been very good at holding his tongue.

Master Kenta remained silent. His eyes bore into Inuyasha's, and he could tell instantly that he deemed him unworthy of a response. Inuyasha snarled, cracking his knuckles in threat as the Kitsune turned his back to him and began to walk inside. Everything inside Inuyasha screamed to lunge at him, to challenge him, to make him _pay_ , but for once he held himself back. This man was Shippo's teacher, like it or not.

"He does better when you are here."

Inuyasha snapped out of his thoughts to find that Kenta had stopped just a few feet away, his back still turned as he spoke. "What?"

"Shippo pushes himself harder, he's more focused when you are here. He must feel he has more to prove... someone to impress." Kenta looked back at him from over his shoulder, his eyes glinting like an animal in the darkness. "I knew from the moment he arrived at my school that he was leagues ahead of his classmates. Shippo hasn't led the sheltered life of his peers. He has seen battle, he has survived, and he has forced himself to be brave."

Despite himself, Inuyasha felt pride swell in his chest. "Yeah,” he crossed his arms, “the little runt's pretty tough when he has to be."

"But,” Kenta continued with a cutting tone as he turned to face Inuyasha, “he has spent too much time relying on you and the human companions he has told us so much about. He has to practice living with his _own_ kind. Those humans won't be around for long in his life."

Inuyasha tried not to show just how much those words hit him. Thinking back to the day Sesshomaru brought Rin back to the village, his brother's words echoed in his head, the same reminder resonating in every word. He avoided thinking about his friends' mortality... about Kagome's. Still, he knew the Kitsune was right. It was the same situation Rin had found herself in, the day Sesshomaru left her behind. "Look," Inuyasha sighed, "I'm not trying to take him back to our village if that's what you're thinking. The kid needs this. But down this mountain, the world is changing. The threat against Yokai is rising, and I'm going to make sure he's safe whether you want me here or not."

Kenta's eyes narrowed. "What threat?"

"That's the complicated part. Still trying to figure that out."

Contemplating all that the young man before him has said, Master Kenta finally turned his back on him once again. "Then... you may dine with us, hanyou."

Inuyasha's lip curled. "I have a name."

Kenta didn't reply. His figure retreated into the Monastery, swallowed by the light inside as it got darker outside. Inuyasha huffed, half inclined to deny the Master's offer just to spite him. In the end, however, he gave in, and ended up eating in the dining hall. He sat apart from the tables of students and teachers, in a secluded corner of the room where he could keep an eye on Shippo. The boy remained innocently unaware of his friend’s strife, talking and laughing with the friends he’d made here. The worst part of it all was that Kenta was right. Shippo needed to be here, amoung his own kind. He was thriving here in a way he simply hadn’t before, to no fault of his “human friends”, as Kenta had called them. Inuyasha could not bring himself to feel guilty or regret ever taking him in, but maybe it was time to let the kid go.

“Inuyasha!” Shippo called from his table, waving his hand to get the hanyou’s attention. “They don’t believe me. Who was it that defeated the last member of the Thunder Demon Tribe?” he asked, puffing out his chest as his friends bickered at their table.

Inuyasha frowned. “What? I killed Hiten.”

The young kitsune burst into laughter at their table. “I knew it!” one of the other boys sneered. “There’s no way a kid like you could take on a Thunder Demon.”

Shippo’s face turned beat red. “No! Not Hiten, _Soten_ , remember? The one who specifically challenged _me_ to a duel?”

Inuyasha smirked, folding his arms as he leaned back against the wall. He’d play along, but just this time. “Oh yeah,” he replied, “Soten. By the time we caught up with you two, the battlefield was...” he tried not to laugh as he searched for the right word, recalling the sea of acorns and mushrooms once the two had exhausted themselves, “uh... _covered_ in debris.”

“But I was the clear winner, right?” Shippo pushed.

“You sure were.”

The chorus of awed shouts and praise Shippo received from his peers was worth however bent the truth was. Inuyasha watched Shippo soak it all in with a grin - he’d serve to humble the kid later, but he’d let him have his limelight for now.

Later that night, his whirlwind thoughts finally caught up with him. He’d done well at masking it during the day, keeping himself busy with helping Shippo train, but every night was the same. Tonight was the first time the Kitsune had allowed him to sleep inside, their prejudice against him finally worn down. No futon to speak of, but Inuyasha had never cared for one anyway. In that spare, dusty room, Inuyasha sat back against the wall, cross-legged as he stared up at the moon from the open shoji. The change in scenery from the forest to the Monastery hadn’t done any good for his sleepless nights. Every thought he’d fought hard to suppress throughout the day came back at full force.

He constantly felt like he was _waiting_ for something. Going back to the village too early had kept him at bay all this time, fearing that any rash returned would put Kagome’s life on the line. He wasn’t willing to risk it, he knew that, but he could only take this for so long. So, what was he waiting for? Did he just not want to go back empty-handed? He'd spent all this time in the mountains with nothing to show for it. He was no closer to fixing this than the night he left. He didn't want to disappoint Kagome.

"Inuyasha?" A tired voice whispered in the dark. Shippo rubbed his eyes as he sat up. The kid had been insistent on sleeping in his room while he stayed there, claiming that only _he_ would be able to stop the other mischievous kids from pulling pranks on the hanyou.

"Go back to bed," he grunted.

Ignoring the Inuyasha's order, Shippo crawled over toward him. He stopped beside him, sitting in the moonlight where the midnight breeze could still reach him from the door. "Can't sleep?"

"What does it look like?"

"Are you thinking about Kagome?"

"Mhm."

Shippo grinned. "You _looovveee_ her, you wanna _kiiiiisssss_ her."

Inuyasha reached out, roughly mussing the boy's hair before pushing him over. "Yeah, shut up."

Shippo swallowed a shout of protest, glaring at Inuyasha as he fixed his hair again. Still the boy had been expecting a lot worse than that. About to open his mouth to question him, Shippo suddenly found Inuyasha's hand slapped over his mouth. The hanyou shushed him, his ears twitching toward a foriegn noise outside. It took Shippo a few second longer to hear it, but as the noises drew closer, they became clear.

"They were attacked on the plains by humans. A small group of Kitsune, three families, all wiped out."

"It's unfortunate, but nothing new."

Shippo crawled over to the door, peaking out onto the porch to see two figures conversing in the garden. "It's Master Kenta," he whispered to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha dragged him back. "Quiet!"

"It _is_ new, though," the other figure, one of the teachers, pressed. "They had never done anything to make themselves known to humans. They went about their lives in peace. They never even allowed their children to play tricks on them. Yet a band of humans burned them out of their burrows and destroyed them in minutes."

From the porch, Inuyasha could see Master Kenta's eyes flash in the moonlight. "How is that possible?"

"The only survivor was one of the children. She described a sort of crystal..."

Inuyasha was on his feet in an instant, leaping over the porch to land a few feet back from the Kitsune. They tensed as he stood, only dropping their guard when he stepped into the moonlight. Kenta, though, kept his back taught. Inuyasha ignored it. "I know that crystal,” Inuyasha declared. “I know the people who use it."

The teacher frowned. "You know them? Are they allies of yours?"

"Hardly," Inuyasha spat, sending a knowing glance to Kenta. "They're the reason I'm here."

The change that came over Kenta was immediate, his defense washing away. "This is the threat you were speaking of."

"Yes."

"What do you know about it?"

Inuyasha huffed in frustration and scratch the back of his neck. "Not much," he admitted. "I've seen it used by the soldiers of a Warlord, Takeda Masao. I can't describe what it does exactly, but I’ve felt it myself. It's almost like it sucks the life right out of any demon it's used against, but it might also be able to control us..."

Kenta turned toward the teacher. "We need to learn more about this." With the other Kitsune's approval, he turned back to the half-demon. "You've encountered it, obviously. Do you think you can learn more?"

Inuyasha smirked. "It would by my damn pleasure." Without waiting for a reply, much to the disapproval of Master Kenta, Inuyasha leapt back onto the porch, where Shippo had walked out to listen to their conversation. He landed in a crouch in front of the boy at his eye level, reaching out to ruffle his hair - if only because he knew it got on his nerves.. "I'll be back in a few days, alright? You'd better come up with some better tricks to try out when I return, got it?"

Shippo's brows furrowed in confusion and swatted his hands away. "Where are you going"

Inuyasha flashed him a grin. "Where do you think?" Rising to his feet again, about to take off into the trees without further delay, Inuyasha stopped and turned back to the young kitsune. "Before I go, though... where's the nearest market?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The little boy had been recovering fantastically through the last few days. As it turned out, it was only a seasonal fever, brought on by the cool shift in the weather, and he was back on his feet with a few herbal teas and plenty of rest. The only problem was that it seemed to be spreading to all of the children in the village. When even Rin came to her that morning complaining of a mild fever, she knew she was going to need a _lot_ more herbs.

Kagome was more than happy to get out of the village anyway. She retreated into the forest at just about any chance she got to avoid every face she had seen calling for Inuyasha's death. Only hours ago, she'd tended to the daughter of the man who'd accused Inuyasha of killing Lady Kaede at the festival, unable to meet his eye. She knew that this was something she'd have to deal with, and she'd never withhold care for his family or even him, but that didn't make it _easy_. Every condemning shout from that night was burned into her memory.

Sitting in the grass in a forest glade, Kagome sighed and idly picked through a flower patch, gathering the petals one by one into her basket. In her mind, she went over the steps to make the tea like a mantra; lay them out in the sun, dry them out, crush, blend, and bless them. Just as Kaede had taught her. She'd just been repeating it to herself for the 8th time when a shadow fell over the flower patch. Stifling a gasp, Kagome looked up to spot the intruder. Her heart stopped cold in her chest.

Lord Masao stood over her, his decorative armor gone and his hair pulled back. She nearly failed to recognize him without all of the regalia - he could easily be mistaken for any commoner in the village, with his hair tied back and a simple smock on. He almost seemed bashful as he gestured down to the empty grass beside her. "May I?" He asked.

Kagome opened her mouth to answer, but he was sitting before she could get a word out. She bit her tongue to keep her temper in check. "Yes, of course," she forced a smile with a respectful bow.

"Thank you," Masao bowed in return as he settled down.

Kagome struggled not to reveal how his very presence burned her skin as she continued to harvest her flowers. “I... I apologise, Lord Masao,” she began, desperate to keep her voice even and free of emotion. “I was not expecting to see you in the village. I had heard from your men that you had returned to Sieshi Castle. I was startled, forgive me.”

“I had,” Masao replied easily. “But I was eager to return, to see how my new subjects are recovering from their traumatic ordeal. Most of all, you Lady Kagome,” he smiled. "Are these for your medicine? I've heard great praise for the remedies you’ve created," he asked as he plucked one of the vibrant flowers and laid down on his back.

"It's nothing complicated. Lady Kaede taught me how to make them." Kagome replied shortly. She had absolutely no desire to entertain this man for any longer than she had to.

Masao chuckled low under his breath as he slowly spun the flower between his fingers. "Yes, as I understand it, Lady Kaede knew how to make a great many things," he mused.

There was a sinister humour in his tone, one Kagome couldn’t quite understand but made her shiver nonetheless. "She did."

"But you are not without a reputation of your own either," Masao looked back at Kagome. "A young Priestess whose power is greater than her predecessors, yet still hasn't reached her full potential. Many think highly of you." Kagome took a breath to respond politely to his compliment but was once again cut off before she could speak. "However there are also many who do not think highly of you. Your village trusts you completely, but there are those who think of your reputation as a foolish girl, bewitched by a hanyou, whose power was wasted. I do not believe that, of course, Lady Kagome. I believe you have a good heart, but you made a mistake and were led astray. I believe you've seen your errors," he offered her a smile as he sat up and pressed the flower stem into her palm. "And I believe in second chances."

Kagome's fingers closed around the stem.

_"You had your chance."_

_"I believe in mercy and second chances for all those who oppose me and my cause."_

"That is why," Masao rose to his feet, once again blocking out the sun, "it would be my honour to make you the High Priestess of this village, and maybe one day, High Priestess of all my Empire."

Kagome tried desperately to keep a neutral mask over her face as she bowed, pressing her head to the grass. "Then... it would be my honour to accept. Thank you." As she sat up again, she could see the genuine happiness in Masao's smile, and it once again made her shiver.

"Perfect! I know you'll do wonderfully. Anyone who ever doubted you will see that. I'll leave you to your work then," he laughed, looking around before leaning toward her to speak in a whisper. "I have to get back to the fortress before my Council sees me like this. They can be _quite_ overbearing."

As Masao began his journey back through the woods, Kagome watched him, slowly rising to her feet. She couldn’t make north nor south of his behaviour, coming to her like a common man, offering her a position that was already hers. Whatever his motives were, she had no choice but to play her role. That was becoming clearer now more than ever. The flower he'd given her was already dead and dry, and crumbled to dust in her fingers.

She made it back to the village by early evening, thankful to see that the soldiers had returned to their fortress as well, allowing her breathe easier as she walked the streets. A few of the children she'd taken care of in the past few days ran past her, laughing and shouting their thanks as they played. Their parents stood in the doorways of their homes, calling them in for dinner as they sniffed and coughed. Kagome shook her head to herself and looked down at her basket. Good thing she'd gotten enough petals.

"Kagome!" Sango hurried toward her from down the dirt road, Mamoru balanced on her hip. "I haven't seen you much in the past few days."

"I'm sorry," Kagome managed a smile. "I've just been so busy with this illness going around. Are the twins feeling alright?"

Sango nodded. "Miroku's been checking them for fever, they seem fine... is something bothering you?"

She should have known Sango would pick up on her troubled demeanour. "It's nothing, just that... Masao just asked me to become High Priestess of the Village."

"I don't understand... I thought you already were?" Sango frowned.

"So did I."

The taijiya's face hardened as the same understanding Kagome had come to dawned on her as well. He wasn't offering her more power. He was putting her on a leash. "You should come over tomorrow if you aren't busy. We can talk," she offered.

"I would love that." Hugging her best friend goodbye for the night, Kagome continued on her way back to her hut.

The evening went on into night as it always did. Rin's fever was still high, but her energy had returned, and she eager for conversation after sleeping the day away. They ate dinner, she made the girl her medicinal tea, and they were in bed as the moon rose over the mountains. It wasn't until an hour later that Kagome stirred again, woken by Kei's whining from the doorway. In the light of what few embers were left in the fire pit, Kagome groaned and dragged herself out from under her blanket. "Shhh, Rin's sleeping," she hushed the dog. When Kei continued whining, poking her head past the bamboo mat, Kagome sighed and pushed it back to see for herself what had gotten her so fixated.

As she stepped out into the night, the cool wind cut through her sleeping kimono, but she hadn't felt so warm in weeks. Kagome smiled, brighter than the moonlight, as she watched a glowing lantern rise over the forest.


	14. Chapter 14

Kagome's fingers curled gently into Kei's thick coat as she stumbled through the forest. The moonlight was sparse, the clouds moving swiftly overhead and only letting it shine in waves. Even then, the thicker parts of the forest were so dense that it could barely penetrate the canopy of leaves. She relied completely on Kei to lead the way; that was, of course, assuming that the dog knew the way. Kei’s head stuck low to the ground, sniffing through the fallen leaves as she navigated her way through the forest. Every once in awhile her head would pop up, her tail would wag, and she'd whine in excitement only to be hushed by Kagome a moment later. The priestess' heart pounded in anxiety and anticipation.

In her eyes, every shadow could be a soldier or villager, following to find that she had betrayed them. Every scuffle in the dead leaves was the movement of a stalker. Kagome felt like her legs might give out by the time she made it to the Sacred Tree, stepping through the bushed bordering the clearing. At the flutter of wings, Kagome spun around to watch the silhouette of a bird take into the sky. She could just barely see it through a break in the trees as it eclipsed the moon, its distant caw haunting in her ears. Backing up slowly, Kagome barely noticed when Kei slipped from her grasp, dashing away from her side. Her eyes frantically swept the forest, certain now that she wasn't alone.

"Gotcha."

A hand grabbed her shoulder. Kagome spun around with a scream caught in her throat. She barely realized who it was before a palm was pressed over her mouth. Inuyasha seemed to have realized his mistake a little too late, judging by his apologetic smirk. Kagome wrestled herself out of his grasp and smacked his chest repeatedly.

"Inuyasha, you utter- you complete- ugh! You scared the life out of me! Don't you ever do that again!" she hissed

Inuyasha could only snicker and raise his arms in a feeble attempt to defend himself against her wrath. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"And don't you laugh at me!" she protested with one last shove.

Inuyasha could have easily stood his ground like her strength was nothing, but he let her have her way and stumbled back into the moonlight. The clearing was a single point of brilliant moonlight in the forest where the trees didn't block the sky, and even as the moon came and went between breaks in the clouds, they could see each other clearly. Kagome glared at the hanyou with a stiff lip, feeling her resolve to be angry with him melting under his slowly growing smile. In a heartbeat, she threw herself into his arms, and he caught her, holding her as tight as he dared.

Kagome could be angry with him all she wanted, but it didn't make her joy and relief any less strong. Inuyasha was back, however briefly, and that was all she really cared about.

When she finally pulled back, Kagome held him at arms length. Her gaze raked over his body for any signs of injury or fatigue. The past two weeks had been hell on her imagination, conjuring up a thousand different scenarios in which Inuyasha would be hurt and Kagome would have no way of knowing. Even now, as he stood solid as anything in front of her, she couldn’t rid herself of the biting paranoia that he could be hiding a wound from her. "How are you? Where have you been? What have you been doing?" she asked in rapid fire.

"Whoa, take it easy,” Inuaysha pulled her back into his arms. "I'm fine, alright? I've been at the Kitsune Monastery with Shippo."

Kagome slumped against him. “Did you have to be gone for so long?" she mumbled, her voice muted by his robe.

"Couldn't risk coming back too soon, you know that,” he sighed.

"Mhm... that doesn't mean I like it."

"Trust me, neither did I."

Despite her earlier frustration with him, Kagome couldn't help but laugh, nuzzling her face against his chest before tilting her head up to look at him. Her eyes narrowed in a mock glare, her chin against his collarbone, but all he could do under her scrutiny was grin like he hadn't seen true light in centuries. She tried to stick her bottom lip out in a pout, only to have it claimed by his lips. He smirked arrogantly against her mouth, drawing out a smile before she could stop it. There were a lot of things they could and couldn't help but do; worry for each other, fear the worst, get frustrated... but of all those things, _this_ was much better.

When they finally pulled back, Kagome gave him one last playful shove to make sure he knew she was _very much_ still mad at him for scaring her. Inuyasha only rolled his eyes, tightening his hold around her waist. If she tried to knock him down, she was going down with him, and she knew it. "I missed you,” she sighed.

"Good," Inuyasha replied, "because I missed you too and it drove me up the wall. Missing you is irritating."

"Well, _sorry,_ " she laughed. They'd both had enough of missing each other for a lifetime. "So, why come back now? Besides missing me being irritating."

Inuyasha's expression became serious, a change that Kagome picked up on immediately. Before he could answer her, she took his hand, and guided him over to the trunk of the Sacred Tree. He lowered himself down to sit between the roots, pulling her down to sit with him. She leaned against his side. "I went to the Kitsune Monastery after I left,” he repeated himself from earlier. "It was the only place I could really think to go. There was no way in hell I was letting Masao's men get to the little runt. They had no idea what was happening down the mountain until I arrived, and even then I don’t think they understood the extent of it. Shippo's teachers got news of an attack on a clan they knew. The warriors were using that Godstone crystal. As soon as I heard, I offered to come back to learn more about it."

Kagome listened intently, chewing on her lower lip in thought until one stern look from Inuyasha had her letting it go. "Well, I don't think I know any more about it than you do."

"I figured as much," Inuyasha's gaze flitted up to the peaks of the mountains he could just barely see over the treetops. "I could always..."

"No."

"Kagome, I won't get caught!" the hanyou argued. "I'll find that bastard's castle, go in, learn more about it, and get the hell out. No one will see me!"

"Inuyasha, _no!_ "

"Do you really think you can stop me?"

"Do you really want to find out?"

Inuyasha growled in frustration. "Well, do you have a better idea, genius?!"

"Quit yelling, I'm trying to think!" Kagome seethed, trying to keep her voice down in fear of being heard. Her mind turned itself over and over, desperate to find some other option.

Inuyasha waited all of a minute before giving up. "Look Kagome-"

"Wait! I know!" she stopped him. "Remember when I shot the crystal out of Yorino's hand?"

"Yeah, that was great," he snickered.

Kagome rolled her eyes, nudging him with her shoulder. "Well, I kept the crystal. I've been hiding it in Kaede's chest. What if you brought it back with you? Maybe they can figure out what it is and how to fight it."

Inuyasha looked hesitant. "I don't know... is it really a good idea to bring it near an entire school of Fox Demon kids?"

"It never did anything to you when I was holding it, or when I had it in the trunk. There must be a specific way to use it, like you have to will it to harm someone,” she mused.

"Makes about as much sense as anything else..." Inuyasha trailed off, his resolve to his original plan melting under Kagome's hopeful smile. "Alright, fine. Do you have it?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, I didn't think to bring it with me. I'll have to go back to the village." The moment she tried to start getting up, Inuyasha's hold around her waist tightened. She huffed and fell back against his side. "Inuyasha, I won't be long. All of the soldiers are back at their Fort, and all of the villagers are sleeping."

"Then I'll go with you," he argued.

"And if someone sees you?"

"You said they were asleep."

"They're asleep, Inuyasha, not dead!" Kagome groaned. "If someone wakes up and sees me, I can make something up. If someone wakes up and sees you, we're both caught."

Inuyasha scowled. Kagome could practically see the thoughts as they crossed his mind, weighing the options and coming to the conclusion that she was right - not that he’d say that allowed. It was the uncertainty, and the bitter thought that they already had limited time together, time they would waste, that made it so hard to let her go. As stubborn as he was, in the end he knew arguing wouldn't get him anywhere. "If you take too long, I'm coming to get you, got it?"

"Got it," Kagome nodded, worming her way out of his arms with a peck on his cheek.

"And take Kei with you," Inuyasha added. He rose to his feet, taking her hand and hauling her up along with him.

Kei perked up from where she had been laying in the grass, her ears twitching at the name she'd come to associate with them calling for her. Kagome waved the dog over to her, smiling when she bounded toward them. She stuck her nose against Inuyasha's unwilling palm in passing, completely oblivious to the way he rolled his eyes and wiped his hand on his robe. Kagome turned her smile to him as she ran her fingers through Kei's fur. "Told you it was a good idea to keep the dogs."

"Shut up and get going."

It had been easy to say that in the moment, but as soon as she disappeared into the dense night, he'd have given anything to call her back. Again, reason told him she'd be fine, and he was getting worked up over nothing - only Inuyasha had never been good at listening to reason. So, he paced anxiously under the tree, wearing down a circle pressed into the grass from his footsteps. The moon's shadows had only grown an inch before he decided that he had been waiting for long enough. He'd been about to jump off into the trees when a thick twig fell from Goshinboku and struck his head. He cursed under his breath, glaring up at the branches. "Kaede, if that was you, it still isn't cute," he grumbled, only to dodge another falling twig a moment after.

As he glowered up at the tree again, he noticed for the first time the stark contrast it had sitting in the middle of the autumn forest. While most of the trees had slowly begun to shed their leaves, it hadn't. The forest had only just started to change colours with the season when he had to leave, and their vibrant hues only ever lasted a few weeks. By now, the entire forest was beginning to shed, the trees thinning and the leaves turning a dull brown. Goshinboku, in contrast to the surrounding forest, was full and its leaves were a vibrant crimson. It was strange enough on its own, he thought. He could have sworn that every Autumn in the past several years, even spanning back five decades ago, the tree had turned yellow this time of year.

Inuyasha didn't take too long thinking about the peculiarity of the tree. The thoughts were gone just as quickly as they came, and he was quick to resume his anxious fidgeting. He didn't try to go after Kagome again either, but his anxious pacing didn't stop until he could hear her footsteps in the leaves and smell her on the wind. He practically tripped over himself to get to her when she broke through the bushes into the clearing.

Kagome smiled at his eagerness. "See, was that so bad?" she teased, though Inuyasha's expression suggested otherwise. "Alright, you big worry wart, here it is." Reaching into the fold of her kimono, she took out the crystal and passed it to him, holding her breath as she pressed it into his palm. Whether it really would do any harm on contact, they didn’t know, but when it came to this maybe _she_ was the one who worried to much. In the end, it had no devastating effect, and Inuyasha tucked it away in the folds of his own robe.

"I'll bring it to the Fox Demons and see what we can learn," he reaffirmed.

"Right," Kagome nodded. A deep silence followed, both of them struggling to say something. Any urgent business was taken care of, and under the risk, they both knew it would be smart to keep this brief. For now, though, they were safe, and Kagome had enough of being smart. "How long do you think you can stay?" she asked.

Inuyasha huffed as he thought it over. "I should probably be gone long before it starts to get light."

It made enough sense, it was the obvious answer, and Kagome didn't know why she was so disappointed by it. "Alright," she whispered. Without another word, she stepped forward, wrapped her arms around him, and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. If they only had a few hours, then they were going to make the best of it, and she couldn't think of any better way than this. In silent understanding, Inuyasha hooked his arm under her knees and lifted her into his arms, carrying her to sit at the base of the tree with her comfortably situated in his lap.

Through the night, they sat under the tree and talked just as they did every night before this whole mess. If Kagome closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that they were sitting in the hut, warm and dry by the flickering fire, back when her biggest worry was what Inuyasha was doing making all those lanterns. As cold and damp as the night was, she could hardly feel the chill in Inuyasha's arms.

Into the late hours, she filled him in on the little things he had missed; funny things Rin had said, and how Mamoru was starting to crawl. A week ago, he'd tried to push his way across the futon to get to Jun's ears; him and his sisters had seemed to maintain their obsession with dogs. Inuyasha only laughed with a _"better him than me"_ smirk, but there was a bittersweetness to his eyes. Inuyasha told her about staying with the Fox Demons, conveniently leaving out the way he'd been treated. He told her about how he had been helping Shippo train, how much he had improved. Neither of them told the other how much they had missed each other. They knew enough by now that it went without saying.

And by the early hours of the morning, Kagome had fallen asleep in Inuyasha's arms. She'd stayed up as late as she could, but after the long day she'd had and the suddenness of their meeting, she'd been unprepared to stay awake the entire night. Inuyasha's steady heartbeat under her ear lulled her into a sleep more peaceful than she'd had in two weeks.

But when she woke up, she was alone and the moon was chased away by light in the east. Kagome came to slowly, realizing before anything else that Inuyasha was gone. Kei had curled herself up on her lap and her warmth helped against the cold, but it was a poor comparison to having the hanyou's arms wrapped around her. The disappointment that he had gone without waking her to say goodbye settled in the pit of her stomach as her eyes scanned the forest. Even if it had been an easier parting, it didn’t hurt any less.

Kagome hugged her arms to her chest as she stood. Kei didn't seem happy with her decision to move, sliding off her lap still half asleep, but was on her feet with a shake and an expectant look. Sighing and running her fingers through the dog's thick fur, Kagome took one glance up at the tree and gave in. The waiting game began again. "Come on, let's go back."

From far off in the forest, Inuyasha sat perched in a high tree branch, leaning back against the trunk as he listened to Kagome leaving. He didn't have the heart to wake her to say goodbye, but he couldn't leave her there alone either, so he'd hidden himself away and watched over her form afar. Maybe what he did was selfish. He was sure Kagome would make a point to call him out on it the next time they met, but for the time being it was all he could do. It certainly didn't make the parting any easier on him. So, once he knew she was awake, and headed safely back to the village, he took off again, more determined than even before to return to her permanently.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kagome took up Sango on her offer later that next day and joined her friends for dinner, making the hike to the far secluded side of the village where Sango and Miroku had built their home. Takuya and Rin trailed along with the dogs, bringing herbs for tea and seasoning for the food. The twins were, as always, happy to see Rin, and Rin was just as happy to see them. It wasn't long before they had retreated to a corner of the hut with Jun and Kei. Rin had even taken Mamoru off Sango's hands for the moment, keeping the baby in her lap while she told the girls stories.

Kagome watched Rin where she stood in the doorway, one foot inside and the other on the engawa porch, but her gaze soon flitted back to the rising moon. It was stupid to hope she'd see another lantern floating over the sea of trees, but it had almost become a habit. Her meeting last night still seemed too surreal to break that.

"Kagome?" Sango called her out of her trance. "The tea's ready, if you want some."

With one last glance out over the forest, Kagome tore herself away from the door and offered Sango a smile. "I'd love some," she followed her over to the fire pit, where Miroku and Takuya were already sitting and pouring the tea into their cups.

"I'll have enough herbs to last us through autumn, winter, and well into spring," Takuya mused as he set the teapot next to him. "But I'll have to start harvesting the seeds before the flowers die, now that the season is ending. Will you help me with that tomorrow, Kagome?"

"Yes, of course," she murmured, lowering herself down to sit with them around the fire. There was no conviction in her voice, however. Kagome could barely remember what she had been asked. She noticed only in her peripheral attention that the others exchanged worried glances. It was fair enough - her mood had been doing better since the festival, and this sudden downturn was enough to warrant some concern. They didn't have the chance to ask her what was on her mind before she spoke up. "I saw him last night," the priestess whispered. The four of them went instantly silent, with only Rin's voice, the twins' laughter, and the crackling fire to fill it. The contrast in atmospheres dividing them from the children made their side of the hut feel colder even with the roaring fire. "I'm sorry, I know you might have wanted to see him too... but I didn't want to drag you into this, not with the kids."

"Of course we want to see him," Sango sighed. "But... what about you? Kagome, you know how dangerous this is."

"I do," she nodded. "It just never occurred to me _not_ to."

Sango's face fell. Setting her tea cup down on the wooden floor, she shifted to Kagome's side of the side and wrapped an arm around her. Kagome leaned into the embrace, resting her head on Sango's shoulder as the two of them stared into the fire. "You're like a sister to me,” Sango began, her voice almost apologetic. “I just want you to be safe."

"I know. Thank you, Sango."

"How was he?" Miroku asked, lowering his tea cup from his mouth and into his lap.

Kagome's face brightened with the memory, light laughter bubbling from her lips. "He was such a jerk, the _first_ thing he did was sneak up on me! And then he laughed at me for getting scared!"

They joined in her laughter, but the sound was hollow, and only reminded them all of the hanyou's absence. "Good, I wouldn't have wanted him to go soft," Miroku smiled.

"Don't worry about that. He's been staying with Shippo at the Kitsune Monastery. He told me about how he's been helping him train, but it sounded to me like he's just pushing him around."

As the others laughed again, Miroku's face dimmed from amusement to concern. "Kagome... did you tell him about Masao's offer?" he asked, his question soon having the same effect on the other three.

Kagome's teeth grazed over her bottom lip, dropping her head so her hair fell as a curtain over her face. "No," she admitted.

"Maybe you should have told him, it's not good to hide things like that," Sango sighed, and tucked her friend's hair behind her ear, not letting her hide away from the conversation.

Although forced to face them, Kagome couldn't help but think about how motherly Sango was to her without realizing it, how motherly she had _always_ been. "Look, being away while Masao and his warriors are here is hard on Inuyasha enough as it is. This is just another thing he'd be worrying about constantly, when there's nothing we can do about it yet. We don't even know if this will be a bad thing."

"Lord Masao is not making you the village priestess. You were already the village priestess,” Takuya finally spoke up. “He has no authority as a holy man in the Shinto tradition to do so. Lord Masao is doing this as a show to the villagers. In granting you a position of power, he puts himself in a higher position than you. He can claim to take away that power at any time he wishes, and the villagers will believe him."

"Okay, so maybe it _is_ a bad thing," Kagome huffed. "But as long as I keep playing his game, that won't happen, right? And then we can fix all of this before he can use this against me."

Takuya's weary gaze rested on Kagome as she stared at her reflection in her tea cup. It was easy to forget at times just how young she was. A priestess was seldom seen with age. She was an entity to be feared and revered, a graceful, holy woman whether she was in her youth or past her prime. It was the same with his dear cousin Kaede, and more-so, as he’d learned, with the elder cousin he had never met. Kikyou had been a subject of stories, ones Kaede had told him as a boy. Even as he’d grown up and become a priest himself, that veneration had never swayed.

But he looked at Kagome now, and he saw a young woman making little mistakes, and making them with the purest of intentions. He saw her complaining about his methods, and the gleam in her eyes when she would sneak away from training to laze around in the forest with Inuyasha, and the terror in her heart when the village she was supposed to look after called for her lover's execution. It made him wonder just how much of that same youthful struggle had been there, and not seen, in Kaede.

Inuyasha and Kagome were doing the best with what they could, whether or not it was the best or easiest way, and they did it because they were young and they were in love. Nothing would change that.

Young love and tragedy went often hand in hand, and that was what he feared most.

Takuya poured himself another cup of tea. "I hope you're right."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was another two nights before Inuyasha made it back to the mountain where the Kitsune Monastery was hidden. Every time he looked ahead he could feel a presence smoldering into his back, like Kagome was standing right behind him, but sure enough every time he glanced over his shoulder, he was alone. At that point he was actually eager to get to the Monastery, just to have familiar company. He'd have to tell Shippo that Kagome said _Hi_ , and she that missed him. Little things like that made the kid do back flips, and Kagome wouldn't forgive him if he didn't pass along the message. After leaving her without saying goodbye, he didn't want to give her any more reasons to be pissed at him.

It was all he really bothered to focus on during his journey back. Inuyasha was taking this one step forward at a time - he current step being to get the Godstone to the Kitsune elders. Everything would begin to fall into place after that, he told himself. He could be home before the last leaves of Autumn fell. It was a determination that drove him onward, and a reassurance that allowed him to think of simpler goals; passing on a message to Shippo, helping the kid in his training, maybe even buying more supplies to make lanterns just to fill the time.

That in itself had become a comforting task as of late. It was the only thing that could really allow his mind to go quiet, to shut off for a while and focus on something productive. Inuyasha had been truthful when he’d told Kagome that he hadn’t made a lantern since he was barely more than a kid, but even still the process was comforting. He so heavily associated it with Kagome now, recalling the countless nights he’d spent in her hut, working away while she slept, allowing his thoughts stray to imagining a life with her. The lanterns themselves had become a symbol of that life - a life he was not going to let anyone rip away from him now.

Everything would work out. He’d tear the country apart to make it happen, no matter the cost.

Inuyasha was jarred from those thoughts the moment he could smell the smoke. It clung to the damp air like a heavy cloak, smothering the wind as it swept down the mountain. He stopped mid step, dread sinking into his bones. Something wasn't right. Instinct screamed at him, pulled him in a million different directions, until with stark clarity, they settled on the cliffs rising above him. Forgetting the mountain path entirely, Inuyasha leapt up the cliff faces, soaring up the mountain in bounds, his heart hammering against his rib cage.

In his eagerness, Inuyasha lost his footing on an unsturdy ledge, crumbling out from under his foot. He reached out and grabbed onto a tree root jutting out from the rocks before he could tumble back down. The distant thud of the loose stones rolling down the mountain echoed as he pulled himself up onto a rocky outcropping. He was probably less than halfway up the mountain, but it was close enough that the scent of ash and blood could hit him with enough force to drive the breath from his lungs. Inuyasha looked up to the summit and could have sworn he felt something inside him break.

From where it was nestled between two peaks, the uncloaked Monastery laid in smoldering ruins. Smoke stacks rose high over the mountain and mingled with the clouds, tainting them black and grey. There were no fires left. They had probably died out hours ago. What terrified Inuyasha the most, was that he didn't hear a single voice coming out of that wreck. No fires, no voices, no life. He staggered back. "No..."

Four days. He had only been gone _four days_.

Overwhelmed by sudden urgency, Inuyasha used all his speed and strength to get up the mountain. The path up to the monastery was littered with fallen trees, their trunks riddled thousands of small holes, and reeking with the scent of lead and black powder. It nearly made him sick, but not more so than the limp shapes lying in the bushes, outstretched hands in the scorched dirt. The scent of death was the only thing that overpowered the lead and black powder. There was nothing he could do for them.

Finally stumbling out of the corpse ridden path, Inuyasha found himself standing before a pile of charred beams and ash, nothing left of the Monastery to suggest what it once had been. His breath came fast, his lungs burning with the acrid smoke in the air. A thousand scents were bombarding him, now that he was at the epicenter of the carnage, but there was one scent he just couldn't pick out, the only one he wanted.

“....Shippo?” Inuyasha called out, desperation cracking his voice when he received no reply. _“Shippo!”_


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Trigger Warning:** This chapter contains references to and descriptions of a school massacre, including child deaths. Please read at your own discretion. If you are sensitive to the subject, you can skip to the bottom where I will put a tl;dr.

Inuyasha spent hours digging through the rubble. His claws were worn ragged, his calloused palms cut and bruised, but still, he refused to stop. He’d long since shed his haori, working bare-chested through the ruins. At the summit of the mountain, it was cold enough to cloud his breath, but he paid it no mind. His body was covered in sweat and ash, hot from the exertion of searching the ruins of the Kitsune Monastery. The embers were still burning, smoke still rising from the ruins. He grunted as he pushed a charred pillar out of his way, letting it fall into a pile with the other remains he'd already searched.

A piece of cloth, the pink and yellow cranes just barely distinguishable under the grime, caught his eye. Inuyasha held his breath as he frantically pulled the body it covered out of the wreckage. He knew it wasn't Shippo, but the hours spent in this carnage had ingrained a steady and morbid pattern into his mind. The body was small, and the moment he hauled it to the surface, he saw the second smaller body beneath it. He checked both for a pulse, his fingers steady and gentle despite the constant strain on them. After a tense moment, he sighed and rose to his feet.

They were children, a little boy and girl who'd clung to each other as the roof caved in. Cradling them in each arm, Inuyasha walked toward a small clearing just on the other side of the treeline, far enough away that the survivors he'd dug out could breathe easier, upwind of the smoke. They were all weak and lethargic, covered in ash stains and hacking for air. Some had wandered out of the wreckage on their own, and those stronger ones had been charged with getting water and tending to the wounded. Inuyasha laid the girl down, leaving her in the cool grass to be taken care of, before he carried the boy back through the trees, across the ruins, and into an entirely different clearing. The wind had blown the smoke and debris toward this side of the mountain, but those he laid in this clearing wouldn't mind.

Surrounded by the remains of blackened trees, this was where he laid the blackened dead in neat rows. Inuyasha laid the boy down and stood, but did not look over the mass. He refused to count how many had died. After all his years of coming across war-torn battlefields, he'd learned not to count. He wouldn't diminish each soul to a number.

Needless to say, Inuyasha did not spend long in that clearing. Bowing his head, he clenched his fists and turned, walking back to the ruins to continue searching, as he had throughout the night. He was clinging to wisps of hope at that point, guilt sitting heavy on his chest and making it difficult to breathe each time he let it catch up with him; he blamed it on the smoke and kept working.

He hadn't made it out of the clearing before a survivor came limping his way through the bushes. Inuyasha stepped forward, about to direct the figure to the other clearing, when he stepped into the moonlight and revealed himself. The hanyou instantly stood a little straighter. "Kenta..."

The Kitsune looked past him at the rows upon rows of bodies. "Anyone else would have dug a hole and dumped them in a mass grave," he rasped, leaning on the trunk of a tree to keep himself up.

Inuyasha rushed forward in case the man collapsed, but restrained from touching him. "Hey, do yourself a favour and get to the other side of the ruins,” he grunted. “I've got all the survivors over there getting water."

Kenta's wavering gaze snapped to the hanyou. "There are survivors?" he asked, an edge of desperation in his voice. Inuyasha nodded. In his desperation to get to them, Kenta pushed himself off the tree and tried to turn around, only to stumble the moment he no longer had support. He would have fallen if Inuyasha hadn't dashed forward and caught him.

Pulling the teacher's arm over his shoulder, Inuyasha helped keep him to his feet, and began to walk with him out of the clearing. Across the ruins, they didn't breathe a word. No doubt Kenta was surveying the damage for the first time, and Inuyasha had seen so much he went mute at the sight of it. When they made it to the patch of forest still clinging to life, he lowered the Kitsune down into the grass. The survivors well enough to move and speak flocked to him in relief, with sobs both giving and needing comfort. Teachers, senior students, and children all surrounded him, offering him water and embraces. It must have been overwhelming, bombarded with so many people, but Kenta took it all in stride, still in shock that anyone had survived. It wasn't until he burst into a coughing fit that they realized he needed space.

Inuyasha waited until then to kneel in front of the Kitsune Master. "Kenta. What happened here?" he asked. The question had been burning in his mind all night, but he hadn't been able to get answers out of the other survivors.

The other kitsune shrunk back at the question, flinching with the nightmarish memories, but Kenta remained stern and met Inuyasha's gaze. "Over the days you had been gone, rumours spread of the humans at the foot of the mountain, the ones who had massacred an entire clan of our kind. We ordered that none of our students leave the Monastery. We had our teachers guard the summit. I was... _proud_ and _foolish_ to believe that would be enough,” he broke off into a cough. “We were attacked in the early hours of yesterday morning. It was an army of men with weapons I've never seen.... devastating. If it weren't for the crystal... we might have been able to fight back."

"But you couldn't. You felt like your life was being drained out of you," Inuyasha continued for him in grave understanding. Rising to just feet, he walked back to where he'd discarded his haori and kimono hours ago. From the pile of clothes, he pulled out the Godstone Kagome had given him, watching as the rest of the kitsune all backed away from the sight of it. Undeterred, Inuyasha brought it back to Kenta. "This is it. I don't think it'll do any harm unless you know how to use it. I thought we could use it to somehow fight back against them."

Kenta stared at the quartz-like stone in the hanyou's palm, hesitantly reaching out to take it from him. Sure enough, it didn't kill him, or burn in his grasp, but there was something sinister about it that the very core of his being rejected. He eagerly handed it back. "Maybe, but I am afraid you will have to undertake that on your own. We won't be of much help to you here."

Inuyasha nodded, his grip around the crystal tensing as he folded the crystal in his robes again. He looked back over his shoulder at the ash pile that had once been the home of every kitsune he'd saved, and those he didn't. Part of him said it wasn't right to leave when his work here was done, but rationally he knew that if he was going to be able to stop any more massacres like this, he would have to. But that wasn't a decision he was going to come to terms with, not yet. "I have one more question, Kenta," he began, his head bowed and face shadowed. "Have... have you seen Shippo?"

Kenta pursed his lips, unable to look at the young man kneeling before him in the eyes. "Not since the attack. I last saw him in the back of the compound... he had been trying to help the smaller students escape. The likelihood-"

"I'm going back,” Inuyasha cut him off, rising to his feet and sharply turning his back.

"Inuyasha-"

"I said I'm going back. I'm going to keep searching and I'm not stopping until I find him," Inuyasha snapped. It hardly registered that this was the first time the Kitsune Master had called him by his name, a sign of respect he hadn't been given until then. No, he heard it as _pity_ , and in his frustration and guilt he wanted none of it. Without another word, he leapt into the trees and dashed the short distance back to the smouldering ruins.

Left in the silence of a battleground, Inuyasha fell back into the pattern of searching and sorting the living from the dead. He let his mind be absorbed by the work, ignorant to his bleeding hands and ash covered skin. Sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped in thick clumps down his face, threatening to fall in his eyes, but after a while he gave up on trying to wipe it away. It only made the grime worse.

This wasn't the first time he'd ever seen so much carnage, that wasn't what bothered him. He remembered coming across hundreds of battlefields in his travels years ago, even remembered complaining to Miroku once that he was becoming a professional grave digger. Grotesque corpses weren't anything new to him. The difference was that now, he felt responsible. He lived with these victims for two weeks, even if some weren't the most hospitable. If he had been only hours faster, he might have been able to stop this.

He couldn't even let himself think about how personal it was now. It dragged his thoughts down to places he'd rather not go in such a dismal landscape.

As the hours passed, morning came, and a handful of the stronger survivors soon joined Inuyasha in his search through the ruins. The sun was nowhere to be seen, veiled behind heavy clouds that churned violently overhead with the cutting wind. Many smaller fires were still burning, and more still kicked up again as the wind stirred their embers - but there was nowhere for them to travel, nothing left on the mountainside to burn. All the while, the low temperature of the mountain bit at his skin. Inuyasha worked, and he worked, dragging corpses and survivors out of the wreckage - though it became disturbingly clear, as time went on, that there was more of one than the other. It was a pattern Inuyasha did not dare to dwell on.

In spite of the cold, he still worked with his kimono discarded, too hot from the strain and the cloth too dirty to bare having it on. The sleeves would have only gotten in his way, and while the Cloth of the Fire Rat repaired itself, he couldn't imagine what Kagome would say if he went back and she saw his white kimono tattered and stained-

 _Fuck,_ he couldn't think about Kagome.

Inuyasha stumbled back from the pile of beams he'd been pushing apart, his back slamming into a tree trunk. Heart so heavy it felt as if it were crushing his lungs, all he could hear was her inconsolable sobbing the day they found Kaede, see the quiet depression that took her smile away for weeks, feel the way her body trembled in his arms as she banged her fists against his chest and blamed him for leaving the priestess alone in her desperate grief. She'd blame him again, and again he'd blame himself, because it was _his fault_.

It was only with that devastating thought that this possible reality became clear. Every time Inuyasha found a body in the rubble, he had to shut down, banish all thought until it was dug free and laid out, because he could not allow himself to imagine pulling Shippo out of the ashes with no life left in him. He dared not imagine the state in which he could possibly find his body, the last expression of terror petrified onto his face forever - only now, he was, and as if a dam had broken open, he could not banish the images. Thinking of Shippo as dead, as past tense, the mischief and innocence drained out of him with nothing left was enough to _break_ him.

With a devastated roar, Inuyasha finally snapped. He spun around on his heel and slammed his fist through the tree trunk at his back. The tree gave in with a deafening crack, falling to the dead forest floor with the echo of his voice off the mountain peaks. All work stopped and watched, expecting him to break down in tense silence. Inuyasha stood there, his fist burning, with shoulders tense and back straight, as he heaved for breath. All that filled his lungs was more smoke. Inuyasha walked slowly and deliberately away from the ruins.

After over ten hours, he finally needed a break.

He'd found the mountain stream hours ago, when he'd been searching for water to bring to the first survivor. It wasn't far from the Monastery, with a flower lined path through the forest and down to the bank. The flowers had withered in the heat of the fires, but that was the last thing to surprise him. Kneeling at the water's edge, Inuyasha dipped his hands in the current and winced when the cold water flowed over his bleeding palms and fingers. Still, he cupped his hands and splashed the water over his face, and body trying to rub out as much ash as he could. It was a futile effort, of course. The grime was caked into his skin and he was just going to get dirty again, but the stark cold made him feel numb, and that was what he so desperately needed.

When he was finished, or at the very least cooled down enough to go back, Inuyasha rose to his feet and began the journey back. He dreaded each step, but it wasn't enough to stop him from returning to what he now saw as his duty. Running his hand over his face to wipe off the water droplets falling into his eyes, he had been about to follow a bend in the path, when he noticed something he'd missed on his way to the stream. The withered flowers had been trampled leading away from the Monastery, drops of blood staining the dried petals. Inuyasha stopped and let his eyes follow the path out to where he could just barely see a collapsed little hut, probably a storage shed, burned just like everything else. He spared a glance toward the smoke rising above the trees from the Monastery. The other survivors could handle things over there for now. He may as well go through this unfortunate shack while he was here.

Inuyasha approached the pitiful remains of the structure and got to work, clearing away the larger pieces. A wall had remained intact, and so he carefully peeled it off the wrecked and let it clatter into the dead grass, shattering into a hundred pieces of charcoal as it fell. Remnants of beams and the framing of the roof shifted and sank into the pile of ash and burnt wood. It was as he pushed away the last and largest piece of framing, however, that a scent lifted from the pile of ash underneath. Inuyasha stopped cold, daring not to move and disturb any competing scents. It was faint, and masked by the overwhelming smoke and acrid blood in the air, but... he could not allow himself to hold onto any hope. Inuyasha crashed down to his knees and began digging. He could feel his heart beating so hard, so high up in his throat that he could not breathe around it.

Inuyasha wouldn't have recognized the body he found beneath the ruble if it hadn't been for the blue leaf-printed cloth. All night, he'd been searching for a little creature the size of his forearm. He'd been so frantic he’d forgotten about the growth. The body he found beneath the ruble belonged to a boy - an average sized boy, with his clawed hand reaching out from the ash. With renewed strength and desperation, Inuyasha tore his way through the remaining debris, lifting the wooden pole pinning the body down and throwing it away so hard he could heard it snap in half and fall into the stream. The cleared wreckage revealed another body. Full clad in armor, he could instantly recognize it as one of Masao's warriors. The man had been clawed straight through his amour, the edges of the gruesome wounds glowing a dim blue. Inuyasha practically shoved the body off, careless of where it landed, as its absence finally revealed the body he had been searching for - Shippo, his skin grey and ashen, unconscious in the rubble.

Pulling the boy up from the ashes, Inuyasha felt an entirely different numbness than the kind he'd been looking for seize his body. "Come on, Shippo..." he pleaded, willing his fingers to remain steady as he pressed them to his neck.

A pulse.

That was all he needed. Holding him close to his chest, Inuyasha sprinted to the stream and crashed to his knees. He cupped his free hand in the water and splashed it over the kitsune's face, nearly laughing in relief when Shippo jolted awake with a strangled gasp. "H-hey, take it easy, kid!"

Emerald eyes blinked open and slowly came to focus on the white-haired figure leaning above him. "Inuyasha?" Shippo rasped, dissolving into chest racking coughs.

Inuyasha quickly cupped his hands in the water again, this time raising it to the boy's mouth to let him drink. "Yeah,” Inuyasha breathed, hardly able to contain his relief. “You little pain in the ass, I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Sh-shut up,” Shippo croaked. Gradually becoming more and more aware of his surrounding, the kitsune gritted his teeth through what Inuyasha knew from experience was a blinding headache. His gaze shifted around, and although Inuyasha blocked the carnage, the sight of the scorched forest surrounding them was a sure telltale of the aftermath of the attack. "I... I didn't think... I was so..." With only his quivering lip as a warning, Shippo burst into tears, holding onto Inuyasha with all of what little strength he could muster.

Thinking back to the night he'd told the boy about Kaede's death, Inuyasha let him cry against him with no reservation. His own hold on him tightened, his head bowed as all the fear, doubt, and anxiety fled from his body in one great shiver. This had been far too close, and he wasn't willing to ever let it get this close again. As he held the sobbing boy, he checked him over for any serious injuries, his eyes catching onto one particular detail he hadn't noticed when he had first pulled him out of the wreckage. Although both were matted and filthy, with patches of fur torn or burnt off, there was no mistaking the two tails protruding from Shippo's lower back.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Looks like you learned a new trick afterall, runt."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_A crack of thunder._

_Turning away from the endless ocean, Kagome looked behind her to the shore, her heart dropping as she caught sight of Inuyasha laying motionless in the sand, his black hair splayed out around him like a veil. She shouted his name, her voice swallowed by the eclipse and soundless as she tore across the beach._

_The sand spraying needle-sharp pinpricks against her legs, Kagome crashed to her knees at Inuyasha's side as she turned him over onto his back. The moment she touched him, his eyes opened, gazing up at her with a weak smile. The tessaiga was laying, still transformed into the fang, in the sand on the other side of the beach, the tide lapping at the hilt. But when Kagome looked back down at Inuyasha, brushing stray locks of hair out of his face, she found that he wasn't looking at the sword. His human eyes were staring up at the swirling void of the eclipse, like his soul was being lifted up into the same gravitational force as she could feel her own._

_Kagome watched the eclipse in awe and bone deep dread, but as one flare of the swallowed sun burst out in the sky, it drew her attention to a single point on the cliffs above them. She frowned, eyes straining to see it clearly. Inuyasha, pure white hair flowing in the eternal breeze, stood high up on a ledge between the beach and the top of the red cliffs._

Kagome jolted awake with a hand on her shoulder, the touch flinching away the moment her eyes snapped open. Rin leaned over her, and Kagome could just barely see her troubled expression in what little light was left in the embers of the fire. She let out a long, shaking breath, reaching up to squeeze the girl's hand. "Sorry, Rin. Just a nightmare."

"You've been having a lot of those lately," Takuya's voice from the other side of the hut startled Kagome, forcing her to sit up so she could see through the dark and find him standing in the doorway.

Kagome shrugged. "It's not like I'm doing it on purpose. They're just dreams."

"Dreams that make you toss and moan in your sleep so much that I could hear you from my hut," the priest pointed out as he entered, kneeling on the raised wood floor. It was almost morning, so there really was no point in stoking the fire, but he did it anyway. With a few thin pieces of wood from his own stock, he laid them in the fire pit and blew on the embers until they caught the kindling. The effect the firelight had on the atmosphere was instantaneous, warmth and easiness flooding in after the cold night. Once he was sure it would keep burning, Takuya turned back to Kagome, who'd drawn up her blanket around her shoulders, letting Rin duck under it at her side. "Tell me about the dreams."

Kagome looked hesitant, uncertain if she was ready to voice them just yet. It made them too real. "Why?" she asked tentatively, hoping she could argue herself out of it.

"Have you had the same dream more than once?" Takuya pressed.

"Sort of... it always starts off the same, but then it's like I pick up from where I left off last time, before I woke up."

"Kagome, reoccurring dreams are messages. You shouldn't be so quick to brush them off," Takuya explained as he used the metal rod to shift the wood in the fire, a shower of embers flaring up in its wake. "You know, they say my cousin Kaede had the gift of foresight. When she was a beautiful young woman, and the High Priestess of this village, I was still a child. She would come to my village to visit our family, and the children would all spread rumors that she wore an eye patch because her hidden eye could see the universe and all of time. When she found out, she just laughed... and told us we were right," he paused, smiling warmly as he listened to the two young ladies' laughter. "But many times she would say something in passing, without realizing it herself, and sure enough it would come true. It often surprised even her."

Kagome nodded leaning her head on top of Rin's as she thought of the Priestess. "That does make a lot of sense. There were times when she would say she had a bad premonition about something, and it would come true. Or she would say something absolutely ridiculous, like..." she smiled, "like _'Kagome, Inuyasha, only by working together will the two of you be able to recover the shards of the jewel_ '."

That brought a giggle out of Rin, who usually went silent at the mention of the kind woman who'd taken her in for three years. "Oh, I remember once, she told me to stop trying to jump from tree branch to tree branch, and I didn't listen, and sure enough I fell and hurt my leg. Lord Sesshomaru was very cross that it had happened, but she did warn me."

Takuya raised a brow. "I believe that might have had more to do with common sense than with foresight. What were you doing jumping in the trees?"

Rin shrugged. "Doing cartwheels got too easy."

"Right," Takuya nodded slowly, trying to decipher how that made any sense before he shook his head and got back on topic. "Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that perhaps you have some minor degree of foresight speaking to you within your dreams. So," he looked at his student earnestly, "tell me about your dreams."

Gazing back at Takuya, Kagome finally gave in, closing her eyes as she recalled the burning eclipse. "Well... it always starts with a crack of thunder."

Distant drums in their familiar beat echoed through the valley from up the mountain pass, cutting her off before she could continue. Kagome's face hardened. Rising to her feet, she moved toward the door in slow steps, parting the bamboo mat to see the distant flickering torchlight of Masao's soldiers coming down to the village for the day. Takuya joined her, while behind them, Jun and Kei eagerly took up the warm spot in the blankets Kagome left behind. Rin watched Kagome and Takuya both, with the moonlight on their faces and the firelight on their backs, but her eyes were captivated by Kagome and her stone expression. She looked like that a lot now. Hard. Every time she heard those drums, and the soldiers came down to the village, a change came over her. It was like she was putting on armor, or a mask. As Kagome turned back to Rin, her smile changed along with her demeanor no matter how much she tried to hide it. "I keep forgetting the mornings are getting darker. They're right on schedule, as usual,” she sighed. “Come on, let's get ready. I want to polish Kikyo's grave today, so they both shine."

Rin looked between the gentle hand extended to her and the mask Kagome didn't seem to realise she was wearing. "Okay," she murmured, taking the hand to help pull her to her feet. Hardened eyes and nightmares aside, the day was starting, and Kagome knew better than anyone how important it was not to shy away from it.

The routine was as familiar and honestly sort of dull as it always had been, with only a few minor changes with the autumn weather. While Kagome and Rin got dressed and washed up, Takuya excused himself back to his hut to make breakfast. The two of them would then join him, eat their meal of rice, tea, and whatever little they had available, and braved the brisk cold up to the Shrine. By that time, the soldiers were spilling into the village, and the villagers were heading out to their own daily routines. Kagome watched them from the top of the hill, the incense in the shrine house swirling around her on the wind. Her own daily routine at times felt like nothing but a dream no different than the ones she had every night, but the surreal reality was, at the same time, reassuring.

Kikyo and Kaede's gravestones reflected the coming light of the grey dawn, and as she knelt down to polish them, she could have sworn she saw a different mountain than the ones behind her mirrored on the stone, a single pillar of smoke rising from the summit. Kagome was quick to shake it off, glancing up behind her to find no signs of fire. Maybe her days were becoming so surreal that she couldn't tell her dreams from reality.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Inuyasha was certain Shippo would have been boasting about his second tail had he not been so ill and weakened by the after-effects of the Godstone. As it was, the boy had spent the past day and night recovering with the rest of its victims. Just down the mountain, some of the healthier kitsune had managed to find an abandoned hut, and while it was nowhere near big enough, they made do. The single room was cramped, with hardly any room to move let alone get around with all of the sick lying on the floor, but it was better than being left out in the cold.

It had taken all of that time for Inuyasha and the recovered to bury the dead. The ash blown clearing had become a graveyard, covered with freshly dug earth between dried patches of grass, each new mound holding some memento of the victim. Across the tree line, the ruins of the Monastery had been searched bare, leaving behind mounds of burnt wood and an imprint in the ground where the once proud castle had stood for centuries.

Inuyasha finished cleaning himself off in the river, ignoring the cold sting against his skin as the wind hit the droplets still clinging to his body. Even as he shrugged on his kimono and robe, the sting remained, but it just reminded him how much better it was than numbness. He didn't look back at the ruins as he finally left, his back turned against the blackened forest. He had no desire to go back, knowing there would be plenty more gruesome sights like that on his path. For now, he was moving on.

When he made it back to the sanctuary they'd set up for the ill, there were students and teachers out in the grass, mourning together and rejoicing in the fresh air at the same time. A few of them looked up with grateful smiles as he passed, no doubt remembering him pulling them out of the wreckage, but all he could do was nod and hurry away in embarrassment. It was a complete turn around from the way he'd been greeted when he first came to them.

Ducking inside the drafty old hut, Inuyasha scanned the crowd of sleeping demons until he found Shippo tucked away in the corner. He stepped lightly between the others, receiving more than a few annoyed glares from the teachers tending to the sick, but it didn't stop him from crouching down at the boy's side. He imagine this was exactly what he'd looked like the nights Kagome had to take care of him; a sweating, panting mess on the sheets. Shippo had his moments of consciousness too, but other than the first time he'd woken up by the stream, and a few brief minutes in between, he slept.

"Will you be leaving soon?"

He heard Kenta's voice before he realized he was even there, but didn't turn around to face him. "Guess so."

Kenta nodded, hands clasped behind his back. "There is nothing left here for Shippo, and you must continue on your journey before another calamity like ours falls."

Inuyasha finally looked back at him. "And what will all of you do?"

"Find another mountain, I suppose. Or maybe a cave, this time. It's much harder to burn down a cave."

"You're really going to keep teaching? Don't you think it's a little dangerous?"

"It would be more dangerous for us to disperse,” Kenta replied. "Most of these children have no where else to go, and we can't let our friends and family die in vain. Kitsune are nothing if not patient. We will keep at our lessons until it is time to act. After all, it's in our nature to be curious. Of course, Shippo is welcome to come find us again if he ever chooses..." he glanced down at the boy, and the two tails sticking out form under his sheet, "but I think he'll be fine to skip a few classes."

"Good point..." Inuyasha nodded, watching Shippo for a moment before turning back to Kenta. "How many tails do you have?"

Kenta appraised the boy with the same level of bemusement. As he looked to Inuyasha, the air behind him shimmered and shifted, revealing four long foxtails protruding from the elder kitsune's back. 

"So, the kid's not too bad off," Inuyasha grinned, reaching down to scoop Shippo up into his arms. There was no point in delaying leaving any longer. They had to move on. Rising to his feet with Shippo balanced against his chest, Inuyasha crossed to the door, stopping as he came face to face with Kenta.

The two of them stared at each other in silent respect that had been a long time coming. Finally, Kenta bowed. "Thank you for all you have done here... you will always be welcome among the Kitsune."

Inuyasha stiffened, awkwardly watching the demon bow to him, unsure how exactly to accept it. “Yeah...” he murmured, shifting Shippo in his hold. “Well... send word if you ever need me. If you can reach me, I’ll be here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TL;DR** : Inuyasha spends 10 hours searching through the burnt debris of the Monastery for Shippo. He finds Kenta, who tells him what had happened - in the early hours of the morning before, Masao's warriors made their way up the mountain and decimated the school. Inuyasha nearly gives up hope before he finally finds Shippo, alive. Shippo has earned a second tail. Kagome, meanwhile, speaks briefly about her reoccurring dreams with Takuya, who advises her that they could be a sort of premonition. He mentions that Kaede had the gift of foresight. Back at the remains of the Monastery, Inuyasha has a last conversation with Kenta, who finally gives him the respect he deserves. Inuyasha, of course, has absolutely no idea how to accept it.


	16. Chapter 16

Rin was helping Takuya clean out his flower pots that morning, over in the priest's neighbouring hut. The warm season was over, and along with it their sweet memories of the spring and summer. Autumn was taking its unrelenting hold, and with the bitter chill on the wind, the forest was left bare. But still, no one said anything when Kagome heard the drums that morning during tea and murmuring that she was going into the forest to look for herbs. There would be none left, and even if she did find any they would be dead and rotted and absolutely no good to them. No one objected. Rin watched, as she did so many overcast mornings, as Kagome calmly set down her tea and rose to her feet. She gathered her basket, pulled on a thick hanten coat, and walked out the door, her retreating feet matching the pace of the advancing drums.

As soon as she was gone, Rin let out a long sigh and looked toward Takuya. "I miss Kagome."

"What are you talking about?" Takuya replied as he skillfully rolled tea leaves in between the petals of the jasmine flowers he picked that morning. "She left only 5 seconds ago."

"No," Rin shook her head. "I mean I miss the Kagome from before Masao came. Not just because Inuyasha was here, but because she didn't have to put up a facade every day. She’s not the same anymore."

Takuya cringed, eyes darting toward the window. Thankfully, the soldiers hadn't arrived yet. "You must be careful when you mention _him_ , Rin," he gently chastised her. "But yes, I understand what you mean. I understand that I have not known her for as long as you and her friends, but I can see plainly how unhappy she is."

Rin nodded, lowering the pot she had been cleaning out as she watched flashes of Kagome's red and white figure between slits in the bamboo doormat. "She becomes a different person during the day, as if she just makes herself... cold."

"I suppose we all do what we must under the circumstances," Takuya responded carefully as he too rose to his feet and approached the door. Outside, the soldiers had finally made it down the mountain path and were spilling into the village, eagerly greeted by those who were awake. "But now isn't the time to talk about this. It isn't safe. Let's keep working, and perhaps we can get a good meal on the fire by the time Kagome comes back from the forest."

Rin released another long sigh, but nodded and complied, picking up the next pot. As she worked, dipping her cloth in the water and washing the dirt off the clay, she sent continuous glances toward the door, until the red and white figure disappeared entirely.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Leaving the village behind her, Kagome made her solo procession into the forest, walking past the barren rice patties and dead trees. There were plenty of places she knew she could check for herbs, on the off chance anything was still alive, but she passed them without a second glance. Idly swinging her basket at her side in one hand, she let herself wander aimlessly through the woods until she came to a grove of pine trees huddled together. The evergreens were the only living things left in the entire forest. There, she unceremoniously dropped her basket, and likewise dropped herself onto a bed of dried leaves.

Years ago she would have been delighted by the soft crunching of the leaves, and would have wasted no time making piles to jump in and kick around. She recalled doing that on her travels, stuffing a handful into the back of Miroku's robes whenever he teased her. Sango had laughed so hard she snorted, and Inuyasha hadn't let her forget it for days until Shippo managed to make him do the same by shoving rice up in his nose in his sleep. She didn't think she'd ever laughed so much in her life than in those simpler days. It wasn't autumn that depressed her - it was longing for those simpler days.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Kagome continued to stare up at the cloud-smothered sky, trying to ignore the sounds of Masao's soldiers in the distant village. She closed her eyes, focusing her attention on the rustling of the wind through the naked forest and the nearby streams, hoping it would drown out the sounds of the village.

That was when she heard the voice. A gentle hum under the rattling tree branches. Kagome's eyes snapped open as a gap in the rolling clouds let the sun's gold light bathe the forest, warming her skin against the cold wind. Scrambling to sit upright, Kagome looked around her, trying to find the source of the quiet music. A gentle trill echoed off the trees, and as she pushed herself up, a faint blue glow swerved through the trees toward her. Kagome held her breath. A shinidamachū flew toward her, swirling around her body before continuing on through the forest, where the sun's light was moving. Although her first few steps were hesitant, Kagome soon took off in a sprint, following after it and the singing voice.

_"Flickering Lanterns, floating in the sky."_

The shinidamachū lead her through the thickest groves of trees, never faultering in its swift pace, no matter how far Kagome fell behind. If it was trying to lead her somewhere, it could at _least_ have the courtesy to wait for her. Soon enough though, Kagome began to recognize the path, with stones, fallen trees, and dips in the earth acting as markers. All the while, the singing voice was becoming stronger and clearer.

_"Though we may part, this is not goodbye."_

Kagome tripped over a root sticking up from the dirt, just barely catching herself on her hands. The jagged stones of the forest floor bit into her palms.

_"Flickering Lanterns, tell me not goodbye."_

Pausing to catch her breath, Kagome looked up at the glowing trail the gentle creature left behind. There was no doubt about where it was going now. Pushing herself up, Kagome sprinted after it, panting as she pushed through the thick bushes and stumbled into the sunbathed glade of the Sacred Tree.

_"Till we meet again, our promise in the sky"_

Kaede was there again, in the form of a young woman. Just as she always was, she was sitting on the gnarled roots of the Sacred Tree, singing to herself as she pushed her needle in and out of her embroidered fabric. The tree's leaves were still clinging to the branches, vibrant red and turned over despite the storms that had already passed. When Kagome entered the clearing, Kaede looked up, smiled, and rose to her feet. The living priestess lifted her hand to her heart. She'd been waiting for her. As soon as she realized that, Kaede's smile brightened in playful delight, her eyes wide and her brow high as she nodded her head to the right of the clearing. With the Soul Collector trailing in her wake, the spirit took off running in that direction.

Kagome groaned. "Again? What's with all this runni- Kaede wait!" Cutting herself off before she lost sight of the spirit, the priestess resigned herself to her fate and started running after her.

Trying to chase a spirit turned out to be much more difficult than the soul collector. Kaede's fleeting image passed straight through the younger trees without hesitation, while weaving and dancing around the mightier, ancient trees. At times she would pass around some obstacle that wasn't there any more, or rise up steps and platforms above Kagome’s head that no longer existed. All the while, Kagome struggled to keep up with her, her heart racing in her chest, until finally she tripped again. Skidding to the ground without the grace to catch herself again, she winced at her bruised knee, and sat up to see what had caught her foot.

A weathered slab of stone jutted out of the ground. At first, Kagome thought none of it, passing it off as a strange anomaly that a stone had such a refined shape. But the closer she looked at it, the clearer she saw that, while its polish was gone, and the elements had broken it down, it used to be a stepping stone. Kagome frowned, biting her lip in thought as she shifted to get a better look at it. As she smoothed her hand over the ground, she felt the bed of dried leaves slide away to reveal another slab. A sweep of dirt and leaves with her hands revealed another stone, and another laid into the earth next to it.

Kagome slowly turned around to find a glade of stone ruins glinting in the sunlight. Rising to her feet with her breath caught in her chest, her eyes swept the clearing, trying to reconstruct what this once had been in her imagination. This couldn't have been far from where she and Inuyasha had been the day Kaede had died, when her voice led them through an unknown part of the forest. Sure enough, the sound of the river where they had played together was clearer now than even before.

But what was this place? Kagome took in her surroundings as she walked one what must have been an old courtyard path, slowly spinning around so she could see every detail. The thick hanten keeping her warm snagged on one of the larger stones. Huffing in frustration, she tugged at it until it came free, the momentum sending her stumbling back and turning around until she came face to face with Kaede's spirit.

The spirit smiled, and something about the curve of her lips and the way her visible eye brightened while the corner creased made her look so much like the elderly woman Kagome knew. Both priestesses took a step forward at once. "...Kaede?"

"Really, it's foolish of you to sleep the day away!" Kaede laughed. "What would your Lords say?"

Kagome frowned. "What? I don't-"

"Yes, well I'm still certain they wouldn't appreciate it," Kaede continued on. It was only then that Kagome realized that the spirit was looking beyond her, just past her right shoulder. After she stepped out of the way, Kaede's didn't so much as blink, and kept looking in the same direction. The deceased priestess paused, nodding her head as she listened to someone speak to her, before responding. "Vassals of the Takeda clan have their duties, and so do Priestesses. You're going to get _both_ of us in trouble."

Kagome watched from a few paces back, observing the spirit. She spoke to nothing, nothing that she could see anyway, but laughed along and smiled as if she were alive. The priestess looked in the direction Kaede was staring in, nearly jumping out of her skin when she saw a faint dark figure, just an absence of light in the shadow of a tree. It didn't move, or take any form, but Kaede gazed at it like they were close friends.

"What were you doing out there? I've told you, it's no good. I've tried to pull the arrow out myself," Kaede sighed. "It seems only my sister can release that _hanyou_." Kagome cringed at the harsh way she referred to who she could only assume was Inuyasha. It was the same language the villagers and warriors had used against him. "There's no sense in dwelling on it, I guess.... Oh, hush. Come on, my family from the Sengen shrine are coming to visit today, and they could be here any moment now. I want to see how my little cousin has grown!"

As she spoke, the shinidamachū appeared again, flowing toward Kaede's spirit. For a moment, her soul brightened, and Kagome thought that the creature was about to carry her soul away, but after it hesitated for a moment, it let go. Three times, it circled around and tried to take hold of the spirit, but Kaede remained oblivious until the final attempt. Her brow furrowing, she paused and slowly turned toward Kagome, her eyes flashing in recognition. Kaede reached out to her with the hand clutching her embroidery, the cloth falling from her hands.

The fabric never made it to the ground. In an instant, she was gone, any trace of her vanishing along with her. Kagome stumbled back until she could sit against one of the stones behind her, heart still racing. The Soul Collector made one last dance around her before flying off into the forest. The break of warm sunlight through the clouds soon closed again, leaving her cold and wondering if she'd been imagining it all.

Shaking herself from her stupor, Kagome decided that she'd had enough of hiding in the forest for that day and began trying to find her way back where she had dropped her basket so she could return to the village. By the time she was crossing the rice paddies again, it was well past noon, and she could still feel her heart skip every time she thought of what she had just seen.

"Lady Kagome!" Oone of the warriors shouted as she entered the village. "Come look at my new fox pelt!" The boastful man patted the swath of fur hanging from his belt. "The spoils of the campaign! If you'd like, I'll get one for you the next time we march out!"

"That's very generous of you," Kagome replied, humouring him with a hardened smile, "but don't go through all of that trouble to waste it on me."

Another warrior laughed and patted his dejected comrade on the back. "That's Lady Kagome for you! Ever pious."

Forcing a hollow laugh, Kagome bowed and continued on her way as quickly as she could, rolling her eyes once she was a safe distance. Her skin crawled at the thought of being given something like that, especially when Shippo came to mind. Pulling her hanten tighter over her kimono, Kagome focused on getting across the village to her hut, so when she heard her name being called, she bit back a groan, plastered on a neutral face, and turned around. All of that completely melted when she realized it was Miroku that had called out to her, with Sango and the children in tow. "Hey!" she laughed in relief.

Setting the twins down on their feet so they could run to Kagome and latch onto her legs, Miroku smiled as he watched the priestess kneel down and wrap them both in a hug with a silly kiss to each of their cheeks. "Kagome, are you busy at the moment?" he asked.

"Not at all!" Kagome answered eagerly. "Why do you ask?"

"We want to invite you to come with us to Mushin's temple for the Bodhi festival." Sango replied, balancing Mamoru on her hip. "It's not for another month or so, but..." After a moment of thought, she knelt down and whispered, "we thought it might be nice for you to get out of the village for a while."

Kagome nodded in understanding. Honestly, she would appreciate a vacation more than anything, and she could always ask Takuya to be on the look out for a Lantern so Inuyasha didn't freak out if she didn't go to him. Rising to her feet with a twin on each arm, she smiled at her friends so as not to rouse suspicion from the passing villagers. "Going to celebrate Bodhi with you sounds wonderful! You'll have to teach me what to do just so I'm not disturbing your practices."

"You know you're always welcome," Miroku offered. "Besides, it's a fair trade right? You taught me how to help you take care of the shrine, so I'll teach you a few things about Bodhi."

"I saw the celebrations a few times in my, er, my _home_ , because most of the people there are Buddhist but it'll be interesting to see how it's done here!" Kagome could honestly say for the first time in a long time that she was excited for something. Time passed at the same pace it always had, but she always felt like she was being dragged on by the sun and the moon, rising and falling and practically shoving her forward with every day and night. It would be nice to forget about her burdens for a few days.

"Kagome comes with us!' Sayuri cheered, while Umeko simply cuddled a little closer to the priestess holding her.

"That's right!" Kagome smiled before turning back to her friends. "Why don't you come inside and join Takuya, Rin, and I for lunch?"

After a little convincing for not wanting to impose, Kagome eventually coaxed Miroku and Sango to follow her back to her hut. As the six of them began on their way, they remained completely oblivious to the lone man in the bustling crowd who had seen them. Captain Yorino scowled, slipping back into the throng of villagers.

Back at the hut, they were greeted enthusiastically by Rin and Takuya, who were more than pleased to see the change in Kagome's mood after their conversation earlier that day. As soon as they walked in, they were met with excited barks from Jun and Kei, who lept to their feet and trotted to the door. Setting the twins down, Kagome clapped her hands to shoo the dogs away before they got too excited, and they obediently complied, sitting together at the door.

It wasn't long before their modest lunch was served, along with some of the tea Takuya had finished preserving. Kagome was only a few bites in before she couldn't keep her burning curiosity bottled up. "Takuya, you came here as a child, right? To visit Kaede?"

Takuya nodded, swallowing a mouthful of rice. "Very often, too."

"So then do you know what used to be out in the forest?" That question alone got the attention of Miroku, Sango, and Rin, the three of them exchanging confused glances.

"What do you mean?" Sango asked.

"Well," Kagome began, "when I was out in the forest today... I encountered Kaede's spirit again, and she lead me to a part of the woods I'd never been to before. There were stone ruins that looked as if they hadn't been touched in years."

Takuya had to ponder the question for a few moments before he could answer. "That must be what's left of the old Shrine."

Kagome glanced back at him in intrigue. "The old Shrine?"

"Yes, that Shrine had been there for centuries, passed down through the family. With all of the wars, and the village becoming so poor, it fell into ruin I suppose. Bandits stole whatever treasures were left after the Sacred Jewel was burned with Kikyou's body, and the remnants were used to make repairs in the village. I didn't think there was anything left," Takuya explained. "It was built around the Sacred Tree, if I remember correctly. After all of that strife, Kaede moved the Shrine to the hill behind this hut, so the village could protect it."

"Did anything bad... or even anything really good happen there?" Kagome pressed.

Takuya sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You have to remember that I was only a child back then, Kagome. I don't remember much more than that."

Although not completely satisfied with the information she had, Kagome stopped pushing the matter and turned her attention back to her meal. Still, that didn't mean her questions were silenced. Why had Kaede led her to the old Shrine? And why had that soul collector been there? At the very least, her pent up curiosity didn't spoil her appetite, but her mind was anything but at peace through the rest of the afternoon.

Sango and Miroku stayed for a few hours while the children played, everyone enjoying the company, but surely enough the twins got tuckered out from too much fun and they decided it was best that they had back to their own home. As the days were getting shorter, nightfall came earlier and earlier each day, and they didn't want to walk back in the cold. The only consolation to that was the fact that every day the soldiers' visits were shorter too. By the time Miroku and Sango left with their kids, the warriors were lining up and marching back up the mountains to the beat of a heavy drum.

Kagome leaned in the doorway despite the chill, watching the men leave, their torches just a faint glow, as the sound of their drums was swallowed by the distance. The moment the last echo faded, a glowing spot in the right corner of her eye caught her attention with sickening dread. A lantern rose above the forest, pushed around by the unpredictable wind. It wasn't even completely dark out yet, hues of violet and gold were still clinging to the western horizon and the sky was a deep indigo. Kagome’s blood ran ice cold. "I-I have to go," she rushed, grabbing her hanten, and on a second thought, her quiver and bow.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" Rin asked.

"There's a lantern, but it's still too light outside. I have to go before someone sees."

Takuya reached out to hold her by the elbow, eyes concerned and pleading as he tried to hold her back. "Kagome, you must wait! If someone sees you two-"

"Something's _wrong_ , Takuya!" Kagome argued.

"All the more reason to be cautious!"

Kagome pulled her elbow out of his grasp. "I'll be fine, I promise. I just can't risk it." Before he could argue, Kagome turned and left the hut, walking as quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself. Many of the villagers were still out, but she nodded and smiled to them as she passed, praying none of them would stop her to talk.

Takuya ran out after her, only to stop when he realized the streets were still alive. He couldn't very well shout at her to come back, not without giving her away. He clenched his fist, pointedly ignoring the stares he'd gotten for running out of the hut so frantically. "Just... try to shoot down two or three birds for us Kagome!” he called to her after floundering for an excuse. “We'll need a good meal for your training tomorrow."

Kagome paused just as she was about to cross into the rice paddies, turning back to face Takuya. "I will," she answered.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The sun had fully set by the time Kagome made it into the forest, but light was still clinging to the sky with silhouette linings on the clouds. It was just enough light that Kagome could see clearly without tripping, because the Gods knew she'd done enough of that today, but it was dark enough that she could feel a creeping anxiety that she was being followed. With the waning moon rising higher into the sky overhead, she shook off her fear and continued on, gripping her bow like a blade.

Finally making it into the clearing, the Sacred Tree's leaves still bright crimson in contrast to the colourless forest, Kagome found Inuyasha pacing beneath its branches. It had barely been a week since the first time he had come back, and although she was terrified for what that could mean, a part of her was just happy to see him. "Inuyasha!" she breathed as she ran toward him, surprised and concerned that he hadn't noticed her right away. "What are you doing here?! It was still light out, someone could have seen! What's wrong? What's going on?"

Head snapping up when Kagome rushed to him, Inuyasha reached out with one free hand to hold her shoulder. "Kagome, calm down," he urged firmly.

"I am _not_ calming down Inuyasha!" Kagome protested. "Not until you tell me what's go-... who is that?" Her panic didn't subside, but was brought down to a slow, burning simmer as she looked down at the child tucked back against Goshinboku’s roots.

The hanyou's expression was suddenly weighed down with guilt. His ears pressed flat against his skull, his head bowing as he stepped aside to reveal the boy’s face and defining features in the dim light. Kagome's hands flew to her mouth, eyes darting between Inuyasha and the child. "Shippo?!" The kitsune's breathing was shallow and laboured, his forehead covered in a light sheen of sweat. One fist curled into the dried grass, his face scrunched up in an unrelenting ache. They were symptoms Kagome remembered well from when she had seem them on Inuyasha. She just couldn't believe that _this_ was Shippo, the size of a human child with two tails protruding from his back. Inuyasha only nodded in confirmation.

The two of them knelt on the ground beside him, where Kagome laid his head on her lap and gently untied the bow in his hair so she could comb her fingers over his scalp in comfort. "Inuyasha, what happened?" she asked again, somehow more calm now that she knew she needed to be.

Inuyasha shifted himself to sit next to her. "The Kitsune Monastery was attacked by Masao's warriors while I was gone. It was a massacre, the entire place was burnt down..." Kagome sucked in a harsh breath when she realized now where the fox pelt that solider had been wearing came from. Seeing her reaction, Inuyasha stopped himself before he started rambling off the gruesome details. "I found him like this." Gesturing to the second tail, and the weakened state he was in, Inuyasha sighed and brought his hand up to rub his face in exhaustion. "I think he got hit hard with that crystal... he's hardly been awake since. Do you think you can help him?"

Kagome nodded, her face set in determination. "I'll try."

Recalling what Takuya had instructed her to do the last time Inuyasha fell to the crystal, Kagome closed her eyes and let her hands hover over Shippo, concentrating on channeling the energy she'd meditated with through out the summer. There was no light and shimmer like her spiritual powers, nothing to even indicate that it was working, but Kagome could feel the warmth flowing through her palms and into the Kitsune, harmlessly restoring him from whatever damage had been dealt. Inuyasha watched her tentatively. He'd always been on the receiving end of this, and so understandably he was intrigued by Kagome's peaceful and diligent concentration. Even being near her, he could feel the warmth and love radiating from her body.

The moon had risen fully into the sky before Kagome stopped. A light sound from the boy on her lap drew her from her trance, and although she had to shake her head and blink a few times to see clearly, the tired emerald eyes staring up at her were an immense relief. "Ungh... Kagome?" he croaked.

"Hi, Shippo," she whispered, mindful of the headache he must have. Still, her smile was more than enough so show him how happy she was that he was awake without exclaiming and causing him pain. "I've missed you. How do you feel?"

"Better," he murmured, trying to take in his surroundings. "Where... a-are we at the Sacred tree?"

Kagome nodded, contenting herself to massaging his scalp and shoulders. "Inuyasha carried you here from the Monastery."

"He did?" the boy shifted his tired gaze to the hanyou at her side. Inuyasha's own gaze softened when Shippo looked up at him. Kagome shouldn’t have been so startled by his tender expression. His first reaction to things like this, especially when it came to Shippo, was to brush it off and make some snide or rude comment, but after the scare the kid gave him, he didn't seemed to have the heart to do it. "Thank you, Inuyasha,” Shippo murmured.

"Forget about it. I mean it," Inuyasha sighed, reaching down to affectionately ruffle the boy's hair. Shippo swatted at his hand, ineffective as it fell back to his side.

"You should get some sleep," Kagome insisted.

Shippo pouted stubbornly. "M'not tired."

"Liar," Kagome smiled, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "You need sleep to recover. We'll be right here the whole time."

Shippo was so spent, he couldn't even hope to argue, and only managed a nod before his eyes closed and he drifted off again. Kagome laughed lightly under her breath at how quickly he fell asleep. That just left one problem remaining. Shifting her lap out from underneath Shippo's head, she situated him against the tree, and shed her hanten to drape over him like a blanket. By the time she could stand her legs and back were sore, but she didn't mind. Inuyasha rose to his feet along with her, but refused to meet her gaze until she stepped directly and forcefully into his line of sight. "Stop that," she frowned.

"Stop what?"

"Stop blaming yourself!" she whispered, trying to keep her voice down as opposed to shouting and waking Shippo. "I could see it from the moment you told me what happened, you blame yourself."

"Yeah, funny thing about that is _it is my fault, Kagome,_ " Inuyasha huffed, rolling his eyes as he stalked away from her to the other side of the clearing.

Kagome cocked her hip and perched her hands on her waist, all reservation to keep quiet forgotten. She'd never been stellar about not raising her voice. "Okay, one; don't you dare bring up that tough guy, apathetic attitude with me, we've had this argument before." Walking after him, her demeanor became gentle as she laid her hand on his shoulder. "And two; you had no idea what would happen when you left. You left to _help_ Inuyasha."

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. "If I was faster-"

"No," Kagome insisted, gently using her hand on his shoulder to turn him around. "Don't go down that road..." her gaze softened. " _Ifs_ are dangerous." They were just as dangerous as _'should have's_ and she knew from experience how damaging that could be when feeling guilty.

Inuyasha let her turn him around, finally meeting her gaze as he looked down at her. "You can't imagine how bad the carnage was Kagome... I really believed he was dead," he lowered his head. "I thought you'd blame me again."

Kagome hesitated, her hand falling from his shoulder. "Again?"

Inuyasha released a slow, shaking breath. "Like when Kaede died... I shouldn't have left her alone, and you were right."

Tears sprung into the corners of Kagome's eyes. The thought of just how long he'd been holding onto that broke her heart. Stepping forward to close the distance between them, Kagome wrapped her arms around the hanyou and buried her face against his neck. "Inuyasha... I'm so sorry. I _never_ blamed you for Kaede's death," her voice choked, realizing he'd thought that she in a sense believed the same thing the villagers had and were been willing to execute him for.

Inuyasha froze. "You... you don't?"

"No!" Kagome choked. "I could never blame you, I-I was just so distraught when we found her, and I took it out on you. I was wrong, I'm so sorry." She could feel the weight lift from his shoulders in one exhale, the shuddering in his chest as he immediately and desperately returned the embrace. Inuyasha held Kagome close, nuzzling his face against the top of her head. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"Forget about it." Inuyasha murmured, bringing the edge of his sleeve up to wipe the stray tears from her cheeks. "I meant it."

"Don't tell me what to do," Kagome retorted with a light, playful shove. The uneven hitch in her voice ruined the effect. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly to calm down. "So..." she began, just trying to get on a new topic, "what will you do next? Now that the Monastery isn't an option."

Inuyasha sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Looking up at the waning moon in the sky. "There are plenty of outposts that Masao has that won't have any clue who I am. Maybe I'll start there. I'll probably try to lay low until the kid's back on his feet."

Kagome bit her lip at the thought of Inuyasha going near any of Masao's men after hearing about what they did to Shippo's school. "Okay, just... please be careful."

"I'm not going to do anything stupid," Inuyasha insisted. "I'm not going to put you at risk too."

Kagome nodded, but continued to chew at her bottom lip, looking down at the grass. No matter how careful he was, she'd always worry about him out there. Nothing would change that.

Realizing that what he was saying wasn't helping, Inuyasha huffed and tried to think of a change of topic; that is until he saw her biting her lip _again_. That was _it_. "Hey," he grunted, cupping her face in his hands. "What the hell did I tell you about doing that?"

Startled by his reaction, Kagome recovered with a mischievous idea. She smiled coyly, her lip still caught between her teeth. "What're you gonna do about it?"

Inuyasha growled under his breath. "Oh, I'll do something about it." Swooping down, he captured her lips, forcing her teeth to let go. He smirked against the kiss in victory before deepening it just to be a show off. Kagome's eyes widened, not expecting such a bold move from Inuyasha, but soon enough let it go and threw her arms around him.

The kiss was only interrupted moments later by a voice under the tree not far away. To be fair to Shippo, seeing Inuyasha and Kagome kissing wasn't exactly the best thing to wake up to. "Ew! Yuck! What are you _doing_?!" 


	17. Chapter 17

The merchant had been wary of him at first, but after several interactions, came to realize that the young half-demon meant to harm. The two were nowhere near being on familiar terms, but there was a tentative business relationship. The fact that neither had attacked the other yet helped. "How many today?" he asked without further greeting when he saw the hanyou approach his cart.

"I've got four." Inuyasha grunted as he set the heavily framed hanging lanterns on the wooden table top.

The merchant raised his brow. "You had five yesterday."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "You only gave me enough damn money to make four more. Look, the ones I gave you yesterday sold, didn't they? Quit complaining."

"Fair enough." Leaning over to open the small compartment where he kept his money, the merchant counted out the hanyou's pay, in addition to what he owed him for the day before. Benign or not, he had no intentions to get on a yokai's bad graces. He dropped the coins into the young man's clawed hand, and with a nod, began to hang the lanterns in display on his cart.

Inuyasha took the coins and made his way across the foreign village's market to where he could buy materials to make more lanterns. In all honesty, he didn't make much profit off of doing this, but he'd been in this village for several weeks now, and it was a simple routine to keep him from taking out his sword and blowing apart the entire plateau in frustration. Once his business for the day was settled, and he had the materials he needed, he stuffed the cloth wrapped package into his haori, and headed up the mountain to hunt for a meal.

With Shippo still recovering and the Monastery in ruins, Inuyasha had decided that their best option would be to lay low for a while. As anxious as he was to get back into action, to find some way to get back to Kagome, he couldn't make the long journeys he needed to until Shippo was completely back on his feet. What worried him was that he was taking a lot longer than he had to recover, even with Kagome's help. Inuyasha supposed it had something to do with his human blood, but even knowing that didn't make him any more or less restless.

"Shippo, I've got dinner,” he announced later that evening as he ducked into the shabby little hut. It wasn't much, just an abandoned shack he found on the opposite side of plains from Kagome and just where the mountains began after the rolling hills. It was deep enough into the wilderness that most humans wouldn't venture, but close enough that he could make it to Kagome within a day of travel if he needed her. Pushing away the tree branches he'd leaned against the door in the place of a hanging mat, Inuyasha dropped two wild fowl and a few salamanders onto the worn wooden floor. "Make yourself useful and start the fire would ya?"

Shippo looked up from where he was sitting in the corner, playing with the few toys that had survived the attack on his school. Even the ones he had did not work the same anymore, but that was moreso an issue with his weakened powers. The spinning top no longer grew in size, and his mushrooms would not multiply, no matter how hard he tried. He'd been in the middle of fiddling with them when Inuyasha walked in. The fox kit nodded, a look of pure determination on his face as he rose to his feet, willed the room to stop spinning, and walked over to the fire pit. Inuyasha had already started stacking wood and kindling in the centre. Shippo pushed his hand out, but nothing appeared. Letting his hand fall to his side, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout, but one nod from Inuyasha gave him the confidence to try again. He reached into his pocket for his green ribbon and tied his hair back in a bow, glaring at Inuyasha when he snickered. Now, this was personal. Jumping into the air, he pushed his hand out toward the fire pit again. A small puff of blue fire shot out from his palm.

Shippo stumbled as he landed, falling on his backside as he watched the blue fire catch on the tinder. "I did it!" he cheered.

Inuyasha blew on the flames until they began to crawl up the sides of the logs, seeping from blue to yellow and orange as they reached the top. "About damn time you started pulling your own weight, too."

Huddling up to the edge of the fire pit to absorb its warmth, Shippo's face glowed with pride. "I hope my full powers come back soon."

"They'll be back before you know it, just don't be an idiot and try to push it or they'll just take longer," Inuyasha commented as he began to skin and prep their meat. Shippo made a face an looked away when things started to get bloody, but the hanyou just rolled his eyes and continued. If he didn't like it, he didn't have to eat it. "Once you're back to normal, you can show me how you earned that second tail, alright?" he added, just to keep him from pouting.

Shippo's face only fell despite the hanyou's efforts. "I don't really remember how it happened..." he confessed.

Inuyasha looked up from his work. "You don't?"

The young kitsune shook his head, idly playing with his new tail. The fur was just beginning to grow back, now that the skin on the bone beneath had healed. "I just remember trying to get the younger kids to safety, and one of those soldiers followed... so I told them to run while I led him into that shack. After that, I just remember something in his hands glowing, so I fought back, and then... nothing."

Inuyasha frowned. Even after all that the kid had been through, it must have been traumatic. "Well, we'll figure it out once we're out of here. I think we'll be able to leave within a few days, at the very least."

"Where will we go?" Shippo asked as he crawled back to the corner to bring his toys with him closer to the fire. When Inuyasha didn't respond by the time he made it back to the fire pit, he shot him a dead pan look. "You have no idea, do you?"

"Shut up, runt."

Shippo stuck his tongue out at him, immediately shrinking back when Inuyasha glared at him. "Well, why don't we just go back to see Kagome?"

"Can't."

"Why not?" Shippo pushed.

"Because I said so," Inuyasha grunted, using the untransformed tessaiga to behead their meal with a definitive chop.

"Do you not want to see her?"

"Don't be stupid, of course I do," he sighed, "but I can't risk going back too often. It puts her in too much danger. And she mentioned last time that she's going to be gone with Miroku and Sango for a while, remember? Besides, it's starting to get colder, and I don't want to make her walk halfway through the forest and freeze half to death too often."

"Not even so you can _hug_ her and _kiss_ her?" Shippo leered at him, only to receive a brutish hand ruffling through his hair, knocking him over and ruining his bow in the process. "Hey!"

Inuyasha shrugged without an ounce of guilt. "You ask too many dumb questions. Shut up and sleep or something."

Shippo pouted. "I'm not tired."

"Then shut up."

It wasn't long after their dinner was cooked and eaten that Shippo did end up succumbing to sleep, despite his constant instance that he wasn’t tired. With the boy sleeping in the corner, where it was warmest and farthest away from the cracks in the walls, Inuyasha slipped outside. Sure as he'd said before, he was met with a bitterly cold wind that pushed through his robes and hair the moment he stepped out of the hut. The dusk was still, and the stone cold silence made him miss the innocent nights of summer, filled with crickets and birds and endless white noise. All he could hear now was the low hum of wind passing through the valley. It only make the silence deeper, the world seem dead and cold. Heaving a sigh, Inuyasha turned back inside and stoked the fire before sitting down in its light and pulling a bundle wrapped in tattered cloth to his lap. Inside were just enough materials to make about five more hanging lanterns and one sky lantern to save for Kagome. With a glance at Shippo, the slow rise and fall of his chest, he got to work. 

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

In a rare turn of events, Kagome found herself in a good mood that morning. Even the steady, monotonous beat of the drums coming down into the village couldn't harden her expression. That evening she was leaving the village to go to the Bodhi festival. The arrangements had been made. Takuya and Rin would take over her minor duties for a few days, and Miroku had borrowed a horse-pulled cart to make the journey easier on the children. All that was left to do was leave. It was the same rush of excitement she used to get the day before a family vacation or a big event, a butterfly-feeling in her stomach that had her almost giddy. She bustled around the hut, keeping the fire crackling on as they did during the day now that it was colder, and humming to herself under her breath.

Huddled under the warmth of her blankets on her futon (she hadn't left it all morning and had the bed head to prove it,) Rin reached out and tugged Jun away from the fire put as Kagome added another log. "Jun, don't get too close. You've almost caught your tail on fire three times now," she scolded him. Kei huffed from her place draped over the girl's lap.

Kagome paused in her song to laugh under her breath. "He'll learn the hard way."

"Oh no, I believe he'll figure it out on his own before that!" Rin argued, taking the dog's face in his hands. "After all, he's such a smart boy! Yes you are!" Cheeks smooshed up on either side of his face, Jun stared at Rin for a long moment, before his tongue shot out of his mouth to lick up the length of her face, much to her disapproval.

Kagome shook her head and picked up her song again, tossing Rin a wet rag to wipe her face. "I'm going for my walk,” she announced. True to their nature, both dogs perked up at the recognition that she was going out, staring at her intently. In the end, Kei let her head flop right back into Rin's lap, too content and warm to think of moving. Jun however, trotted out at Kagome's side without need of invitation. Kagome idly reached down to scratch his head as she slipped on her hanten. She just barely heard Rin's "Have fun!" as she stepped out of the warmth of the hut.

Takuya was off on the other side of the village that morning helping a few of the farmers preserve their seeds. He'd been gracious with the daily ritual of waking her up with a bucket of water as it got colder outside, but just in case, she got into the habit of getting up before him; something told her that was what he'd wanted all along. With him busy though, she had the morning off to do as she pleased, and as she always did when she had free time, she _pleased_ to go into the forest.

The earth was crisp and covered with frost that morning, and the plains beyond glistened in the grey dawn. Although her ears and nose became red with the cold, and her breath fogged as it rolled from her lips, it wasn't as freezing as she knew it would get once winter really hit. It was still hard to believe that the end of summer and a portion autumn had passed since Inuyasha had left. She'd only had spring and summer with him. _'I guess he took the warm weather away with him. Jerk.'_

Kagome let her mind wander between those thoughts and thoughts of the duties she had to take care of that day, occasionally picking up any stick she found to throw for Jun to chase after. With her attention straying, she let her feet take her aimlessly through the forest until she ended up at her intended destination. The priestess pushed through the bushes with practiced effortlessness, stretching her arms over her head as she stepped into the clearing.

The vibrant colour of the leaves still clinging to the Sacred Tree's branches filtered the morning light and bathed the clearing in a startling red hue. Kagome's heart skipped and faultered as her eyes honed in on the change immediately - it wasn't the colour. A clean chunk of the tree the size of her forearm had been hacked away in two blows of an ax.

Stumbling back, Kagome's mind was suddenly filled with memories she'd never had before,;of hiding little figurines and toys in the strange hole in the tree like a dollhouse when she was a child, of asking her grandfather why it was there only to be told some long and dull fable. A change, however subtle, in her timeline left just enough residual memory to realise what had happened. Jun padded ahead tentatively, ears drawn back as he sniffed at the bark. It only took another frantic heart beat for Kagome to turn around and start sprinting back to the village.

She knew the moment she crossed over the rice paddies that something was different that morning. The few villagers that were still out were on their way to the market, where a large crowd was congregated around the centre, the same place the bonfire had stood the night of the festival. From across the excited throng, she could just barely see Miroku, Sango, and Takuya huddled together near the epicentre. The villagers spoke to Takuya with amiable warmth to join them. Many of the same people ignored Miroku.

"Ah! Lady Kagome! Just who we have been waiting for!" Masao's voice cut through the crowd in a single syllable, and straight through Kagome's gut. Her face went pale as the villagers hushed and smiled and her, guiding her toward the centre where Masao stood on one of the wooden carts. Behind her, she could hear Jun barking at the edge of the crowd, only for Takuya to hastily run over to calm him.

As Kagome was unceremoniously pushed up to Masao's impromptu stage, lifted onto the platform by his soldiers before she could even clearly see their faces, she felt the blood drain from her body. In her last thoughts before Masao spoke, all charismatic charm and grandeur, she found it ironic that she was standing in the same place he had tried to execute Inuyasha - and fully expect the same in that moment.

Completely oblivious to Kagome's terror, Masao turned to the crowd with a booming voice. "I know that I am a newcomer to your village,” he began with his usual grandeur. “I say this not as your leader," Kagome had to stop to wonder _when he had become their leader_ , "but, as I pray I have become, one of your laymen. A loyal friend. And although I have not been here long, it is of no great secret to me, or any of us, the selfless and gracious deeds Lady Kagome has done for us all. She has saved our children's lives, she has tended to our Shrine, and she has saved us from a threat within our own ranks!"

The villages cheered, raising their fists and clapping their hands with looks of pure glee. Or at the very least, the majority of the crowd did. Just like the day of the festival, when Inuyasha had been protecting Rin, there were a select few who stared up at her with solemn eyes and silent lips. Those few who understood and were too afraid to speak up.

Masao reached around and let his heavy hand fall on her shoulder. Kagome could feel her skin flare with ice and fire beneath the fabric, the image of a flower crumbling to dust as it passed from his hand to hers flashing in her mind's eye. "Lady Kagome has been a virtuous gift to us all, and that is why I am proud to announce that she will be named High Priestess of the village!"

Confusion trickled through the celebration in a broken stream, dousing the grins on the villager's faces. They turned to each other and whispered, only to be spurred back to cheering by neighbors and insistent soldiers. She made brief eye contact with Takuya from above the crowd, thinking back to his cautionary words. _"You were already the village Priestess... In granting you a position of power, he puts himself higher than you. He can claim to take away that power at any time he wishes..."_ Kagome had hoped for a moment that one of them would ask the question they were all wondering, but soon enough the cheers drowned out any chance of that question being heard.

_"...and the villagers will believe him."_

"And in honour of the position, Lady Kagome will be accompanying me to Seichi Castle to discuss her duties," Masao continued in his echoing bravado, his free hand outstretched in an extravagant gesture, soaking up the cheers and applause like he lived off of it. "We leave tomorrow!"

Kagome spun around to face him, forcing his hand off her shoulder. "But I was-"

"Going to the Buddhist festival with the Monk?" he replied in a quieter tone, as if he were doing her a favour by keeping her shameful little secret. "Yes, Captain Yorino told me. I thought the timing just perfect to give you an excuse not to go. After all," the young Lord flashed her a brilliant smile, "you shouldn't be wasting your time with the Buddhists. You have the honour of carrying on a pure new era to the Shinto tradition, the only and true tradition belonging in our land."

Kagome couldn’t comprehend it. She’d grown up in a world where Shintoism and Buddhism coexisted in harmony, so ingrained in her daily life that she could hardly divide one from the other. Even as she had seen in this era, the two had been mutually absorbed into their culture. Never in her life had she heard such a bold and hostile attack against the other faith, and the sheer force of the statement behind Masao’s harmless smile had her stepping back until her foot slipped off the edge. The only thing she could hear over her startled cry and the blood roaring in her ears as she fell was the jingle of a staff falling to the ground.

Miroku caught her, his arms loose around her waist, before she could hit the ground, her feet just barely touching the ground. "Are you alright, Kagome?"

"Yeah, thanks," Kagome nodded as she regained her footing.

Masao watched the exchange with a look of distaste from his high vantage on the cart. "You'd best be on your way if you want to make it to your festival, Monk."

Sango stepped forward, eyes ablaze. "Is that a threat?"

"Sango, please," Miroku urged her to calm down with a pleading look. With Kagome steady on her own feet again, the Monk gave the Warlord a curt nod. "We have time, but thank you for your concern for our safety travelling."

Masao did not say another word. With one wave to the crowd, they dispersed in idle chatter, back to their daily chores. All the while, Masao refused to budge from his place, eyeing the one group left until Miroku gently took Sango's arm and began to guide her away. Takuya soon joined them, with Kagome straggling behind. Only once the market was clear could she hear him jump down from the cart.

A burst of viscous barking tore at Kagome's already frayed nerves as she spun around to see Jun snarling at one of the soldiers, his nose pointed toward the ax at his belt.

"Get this mutt away from me before I cut its throat!" the soldier roared.

Kagome rushed to the dog and pulled him back, quickly diverting his attention away from the ax. It did little to take her own attention away from it, though, and as she glared back at the brute from over her shoulder, she knew all she needed.

"In the case that you needed incentive." Captain Yorino droned as he approached, sending the soldier away. Jun tried to run after him and the ax, but Kagome managed to hold him back, turning her glare to the Captain.

"How did you know?" she seethed.

"You ought to be more careful with the things you say out in the open. Who knows who could over hear?" Yorino's lips curled in a disgusting smile.

Kagome's eyes narrowed as she rose to her feet. "I still don't understand. What was the purpose of keeping me from celebrating Bodhi with my friends?"

"The purpose," Yorino spat, "was to force you to reconsider your friendships. You wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious tree, would you?" Kagome's glare didn't waver until Yorino took his leave of her, waving her off as he walked away. "I will never understand you people. That doesn't matter though. My primary concern is my loyalty. Perhaps you should think about making it yours as well."

Kagome watched Yorino leave, following Masao as his small convoy prepared to journey up to the fortress above the village. Rooted to her spot, even Jun gave up his hunt for the ax wielder and trotted back toward the hut before she had even moved. She would have jumped out of her skin when she felt a light hand on her shoulder, had it not been for the healing touch replacing the sting Masao left behind.

"Kagome?" Sango whispered

They couldn't talk there. Yorino's words repeated endlessly in Kagome's head as she grabbed her friend's hand and took off running, dodging and weaving through the retreating crowd as she sprinted to the torii gates and up the stairs to the Shrine. She didn't stop until they were inside the Shrine house and the door was shut. Their heaving breaths fogged in the cold and danced in the beams of light flooding through the slits in the shoji door, the only source of light in the dark room.

Even Sango struggled to keep up with her erratic behaviour. She stumbled in behind Kagome. "Wha-"

"Goshinboku," Kagome gasped as she fought to catch her breath. "I went there this morning, a-and there was a cut, th-they cut it because they heard you inviting me to Bodhi!"

Sango reached out to hold her by her forearms. "Kagome, breathe."

"They'll keep cutting it if I don't do what they tell me to, Sango!" she shook her head. "And if they cut it, I'll- Sango I'll never have been here, I'll disappear, I'll never have met Inuyasha, and I just... I-I need him, I need him _here_!"

Sango couldn't take seeing her best friend so hysterical any longer. Pulling her into her arms, she let Kagome sink against her as the two of them lowered down to the floor, where Sango leaned back against the wall, and Kagome let out sob she'd been holding back since the day Inuyasha left. Kagome had never felt as safe as she did then, closed up in the Shrine and held in the steadfast and loving embrace of her best friend.

When she'd finally shed the tears she needed to, leaving the Shrinehouse in soft silence, she reached up to wipe her eyes. "I cried the last time Inuyasha was here..." she whispered. "I'm sick of crying."

"Crying just means that you feel, Kagome. There's nothing wrong with crying," Sango carded her fingers through her hair before resting her cheek on the top of her head. " _You_ taught me that."

Kagome sighed, her breath hitching in her throat as she calmed down. "I wish I could go with you and Miroku..." To be honest, Masao's attitude toward the Monk and his faith was beginning to scare her, but she wasn't sure she wanted to bring that up.

"I do too..." Sango mumbled, understanding what she meant just by the hesitance in her voice. Holding Kagome just a bit tighter, she smiled against her hair. "Well... since you can't come anymore... can I tell you a secret?

Kagome frowned, curiosity taking over to distract her from her troubled. She had a feeling that was what Sango had been aiming for. "Of course."

"You have to promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise."

"And that means Miroku."

"I said I promise."

" _Especially_ not Miroku."

"Sango!" Kagome laughed, the sound genuine if not muted and uneven by her crying.

The taijiya smiled against the crown of Kagome's head. "I'm pregnant."

Eyes widening with a soft intake of breath, Kagome pulled back enough to look up at her friend. The soft shadows falling over her face unable to smother the light in her eyes. "You're pregnant?" Sango beamed and nodded, but didn't have the chance to respond before Kagome pulled her back into a tight embrace with a squeal.

Sango welcomed the embrace. "I'm waiting to tell Miroku at Mushin's temple.

"Who knows," Kagome giggled as she sat up, her tears gradually drying, "maybe you'll have twins again."

The absolute groan Sango let out at that thought had her laughing all over again "I love the girls, but I will _never_ do that again if I have any say. I don't think it’s twins though, I'm already pretty far along..." she trailed off, leaning back against the wall again. Kagome shifted herself to sit beside her friend rather than in front of her, mirroring her position and leaning back. Sango glanced at her, eyes trailing to the sacred statues and smoke rising off the glowing incense. "Inuyasha was always the one to tell me, you know,” she murmured. “I guess he could smell the change. The first time, he just blurted it out in the middle of dinner with Kaede, like he assumed we knew too. I thought Miroku was going to choke, but I wasn't much better off. And with Mamoru, he pulled me aside and told me in the forest, but then he kept teasing Miroku and trying to drop hints just because I asked him not to say anything and he _knew_ it drove me mad."

Kagome listened intently to Sango's story, trying to imagine every detail like it could substitute the memory she would never have. After all this time, it still stung to remember that she had missed out on so much when the well was closed, and there were just some things she couldn't make up for. This, however, seeing her best friends' family grow, was at least something she could experience for the first time. As Sango finished off her tale with what Inuyasha had done to grate on the poor pregnant woman's nerves, she laughed fondly and sighed. "That certainly sounds like him. What a jerk..."

"Mhm," Sango hummed in agreement. She reached over, laying her hand on top of Kagome’s. "I'm not trying to make it seem like everything is okay by telling you this, or that I'm oblivious to how much you're hurting... but maybe if something good can happen in the midst of all of this, there's hope for things getting better, and it's something worth fighting for." Wrapping an arm around Kagome, she gave her a squeeze and let her rest her head on her shoulder. "So, the next time you see him, you tell Inuyasha to find a way to come back as soon as possible so he can see this baby, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." Kagome smiled. "Thank you, Sango."

After that conversation in the Shrine house, Kagome's spirits kept up throughout the rest of the day. She shared secretive glances with Sango, thrilled to be in on the grand surprise, and spent the afternoon helping her and Miroku prepare for the long journey. But as the sun sank over the mountains, and darkness seeping into the sky from the east, time ran out and the family had to leave. On the cliff she once stood on with Inuyasha, when they had released their lanterns into the sky, believing they had all the time in the world for their love story, she watched them leave. The lanterns Inuyasha had made them months ago swung from the horse-drawn cart, soon disappearing with the distance. As those lights faded below, and the sun fell behind the mountains, she held her breath for a single heartbeat, praying that another light would rise from the forest to replace them.

In some sick way, her wish came true, but the lights didn't come from the forest. With the oncoming night, the lights of the Soldiers' outpost gradually flickered to life across the rolling plains of the valley. Kagome's eyes hardened.


	18. Chapter 18

Fog rolled off her lips that morning, rising in swirling puffs before fading into the thin air inside her carriage. Kagome had been asking since they left that morning if she could just get out and walk, but the soldiers always responded with the same amused head shaking, laughing as they continued on. Apparently, it was some ludicrous joke. No, she'd better stay inside the carriage with her overly extravagant blankets and pillows to keep warm. Pulling a few layers of plush cloth around her, she huffed in indignation and glared at the silhouettes of the soldiers through the curtains. She wouldn't be nearly this cold if they let her walk.

They'd left late that morning, only because Masao kept insisting that she take the more spacious and luxurious carriage. In the end, she agreed only so that they could get on the road. His carriage was being pulled by cattle ahead of her, and hers pulled by two. On either side, they were flanked by escort soldiers, while the rest were left behind to protect the village from their outpost.

The silence was what got to her the most. Kagome used to love travelling, but she was quickly realizing that what she really loved was the company and open air; neither of which she had with her here.

Poking her head out of the curtain, ignoring the clicking tongues of disapproval, Kagome called to the nearest soldier. "How much longer do you think it will take?"

"As I have been telling you all morning, we will arrive by dusk," the man sighed. "Please Lady Priestess, be patient."

Kagome had to remind herself not to pout. She had to play a part here as the prestigious and obedient Priestess, and prestigious, obedient Priestesses did not pout. Nodding in thanks, she folded her arms on the rug stretching to the edge of the little compartment, leaning over the edge so she could look at the approaching mountains. She let her eyes trail over the caravan stretching on before and after her on the barren path. It seemed over extravagant to her, having so many soldiers go with them, when she was sure Masao had many more guarding his castle. One soldier, just behind her carriage, caught her eye, his young freckled face reminding her of Kohaku. "Who is that boy?" she asked the soldier she had spoken to earlier. "He looks too young to be a soldier."

The man looked back over his shoulder and grunted. "That is my son, Hachiro. He is not a soldier."

Kagome looked back at him, her brows furrowing and her gaze soft. "He's not? Then what is he?"

"He raises cattle. Like his father," he grunted. "The cows pulling the carriages were ours. The one on the left pulling yours? Hachiro helped deliver her, she's his favourite. I'm glad that if she has to pull anyone, it's you, Lady Priestess. Others may be too cruel."

Kagome felt her heart squeeze. "So, if you're cattle farmers, what are you doing here?"

Quickly glancing around at the soldiers nearby, the man continued in a hushed tone. "When a Warlord saves your village from destruction and puts a musket in your hands, you have very little choice on the matter," he sighed, glancing back over his shoulder at his son. "His older brothers were killed in an attack by another Clan, and his sisters and younger brothers are at home with their mother. I never wanted any of my children to be soldiers, but," he looked up at Kagome with a sad smile, "I never wanted to be one either."

"Do you know if this has happened in the other villages under Masao's... care?" Kagome asked urgently, only to be silenced by a higher ranking soldier a few feet a head of them clearing his throat.

The man shrunk back. "Please Lady Priestess, you will get me punished," he pleaded quietly. "I have nothing but praise for our Lord." Despite the words coming out of his mouth, the man nodded. "Now I beg of you, return inside your compartment where you are protected from the weather. It is much too cold outside for a woman."

Stopping herself from making a face at that comment, Kagome nodded in thanks, sending the old soldier a warm look as she crawled back inside. Her cheeks and ears were red with the cold, and the mist tumbling from her lips seemed to be thicker than even before. Despite herself, she bundled up under the piles upon piles of blankets to keep warm, peeking out every so often to watch the silhouette of the man she'd spoken to. In him, she saw every man in her village. Even after what they had done to Inuyasha, she couldn't wish this fate on them. It was with those thoughts that Kagome drifted off to sleep, burrowed under the thick covers. Soon enough, she didn't even feel the constant jostling of the carriage; it only felt like a train to Tokyo.

When the carriage suddenly slammed to a hault, Kagome shot out from under the blankets, disoriented and her hair a mess. "Huh?" she gasped, jumping out of her skin when the curtain peeled back. What only felt like a few minutes' nap had ended in a dark sky and colder air.

"Lady Priestess," the cattle farmer's son bowed as he spoke, his voice cracking much to his embarrassment. The boy cleared his throat. "We have arrived."

Kagome bowed in return, trying not to laugh at how flustered the boy became. His armor swallowed his lithe frame whole, that sight alone was enough to sober her. "Thank you." With the boy holding the curtain back, Kagome wrapped a few of the blankets around herself and slipped outside. The castle was tremendous, a colossal monster clinging to the side of the mountain with high stone palisades and elaborately layered roofs. What was left of the gardens, now bare for the oncoming winter, spilled over on either side of the paths with still-watered rivers. The soldiers that stood guard looked no different than the red pillars surrounding the engawa. Everything was crisp and orderly and clean, and without an ounce of life.

As Kagome turned in aimless circles to take in the castle her attention was struck by the largest building. It sat on top of a steep incline, with stone stairs reaching up to the top and plateauing into a courtyard; and at the summit was a mountainous red torii gate, where Masao stood proudly in the centre. He spread his arm open in a wide gesture as he always did, sending a shiver down her spine as she watched him smile in the moonlight. "Welcome," he greeted. "Lady Kagome, I hope you were comfortable on our journey today. You will be shown immediately to your prepared room. Rest well, and tomorrow, we will attend to our business."

Kagome frowned, tugging the blankets tighter around her body as the cold seeped through. "Business?" she had assumed he just brought her here to keep her from her friends and to show off. Mostly to show off.

Masao laughed and lowered his hands to rest casually at his sides. "Formalities, I promise. There are many things I would like to talk about with you."

"Ah," Kagome nodded. "Well... I look forward to it. Thank you."

The image of Masao standing directly in the centre under the torii gates appeared every time Kagome closed her eyes that restless night in her, unsurprisingly, elaborate room. A bed chamber with plush silk curtains had been made to house her futon, out of place to her in the middle of the large room. Just as she had in the carriage, she felt claustrophobic and restrained. Just out the window, through a crack between the curtains, she could see the grand torii gate solitary in the moonlight below. It seemed almost sacrilegious, disturbing for such a ' _devout_ ' man to put himself in that position.

Didn't he know only the Gods could pass through the centre?

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The scents had been coming to him all morning on the chill pushing incessantly through the makeshift branch coverings over the door. Sometimes they came from up the mountain, sometimes they came from the valley below, all different but all familiar. It drove him absolutely mad that he couldn't recognize them, but however frustrating it was, it made sense. That night would be the New Moon, and already he could feel his powers waning.

"Inuyasha, come on! Pay attention!" Shippo complained. "I swear it'll work this time, but you'll miss it if you're not looking."

Glaring down at the kitsune, Inuyasha grunted and begrudgingly listened, if only to get the kid to stop whining. "Alright, alright, try again," he sighed as he leaned back against the wall of their temporary home.

Shippo nodded, a look of determination overtaking his features as he pressed a dry leaf to his forehead and jumped in the air. A puff of smoke surrounded his body, but despite his efforts, he fell back to the floor unchanged. "Damn it!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "What the fuck did I tell you about swearing? I'm not gonna have Kagome get pissed at me because you're starting to swear. Knock it off."

Shippo pouted up at him. "You do it all the time."

"I'm older, and bigger, and stronger. I can swear all I damn please."

Grumbling about it under his breath with a few choice words that had Inuyasha glaring at him again, Shippo rose back to his feet and brushed the dirt off his fur. He had been about to find something else to tease or annoy Inuyasha about, because after being cooped up in that little hut for so long it was the only fun thing to do anymore, when he noticed the change in his balance. Looking behind him, his face lit up as he found that his tails had disappeared. "Inuyasha, look! It _did_ work!" he cheered.

"Huh?" Inuyasha frowned until Shippo turned to show him the lack of any tails protruding from his lower back. No sooner had he seen it though that another puff of smoke appeared and he was knocked off his feet by the reappearance of his tails. Inuyasha offered him an encouraging smirk despite it. "Not bad. Keep working on it, and maybe we can get the hell out of here by tomorrow." With a yawn and a stretch he promptly fell onto his side and rolled to turn his back on the kitsune. "Wake me up at sunset."

Shippo pouted in disappointment. "You're not gonna keep watching?"

"You don't need an audience. And I need to get some sleep if I'm going to stay up. It's the New Moon. It'll be a long night."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Miroku had a special love for this room. Mushin's temple was modest, and as spacious as it was, any elaborate treasures it once possessed had been sold to either give money to its village, or on more than one occasion, buy sake. Sacred objects remained, but even those were nothing elegant. Mushin always said he liked it better that way, so he'd appreciate the treat of staying at an inn to drink and be spoiled more. Hardly the most faithful Buddhist lifestyle, but he was well behaved when it counted, as Miroku had learned throughout the years. He had been born and raised in this temple, and with his mother having died in child birth and his father falling victim to the Kaazana, Mushin had been the one to take him through the rites of becoming a Monk.

That was why he loved this room. With the other rooms of the temple practically bare, the single treasure remaining stood against the wall, a shining bronze statue of the enlightened Buddha. He had spent years training under the steady gaze of this same statue, even remembered getting caught playing on it when he was a child. Speaking of which...

"Umeko, that's not for climbing," Sango chastised, hurrying forward to catch the girl before she could fall out of the Buddha's lap.

Mushin and Miroku had been sitting in front of the statue since dawn, meditating in honour of the Day of Enlightenment. Sango had been meditating with them until the children woke up, and although Miroku had been the first to offer to tend to them, she insisted that he stay and continue while she kept them out of trouble. Or at least tried. Their excitement at visiting the temple was hard for her to reign in.

Mushin paused in his mantra to laugh under his breath and open his eyes to watch Umeko take off again as soon as Sango put her down. "It's alright Sango, I am sure the Buddha wouldn't mind a bit of fun."

Sango smiled warmly at the old Monk, her gaze shifting Umeko joining her sister in crawling onto their father's lap. It was much more comfortable than bronze anyway. Miroku immediately accommodated them, looping his arms around them before joining his hands back together to hold his mala.

"Daddy? Why do you wear metal in your ears?" Sayuri asked, reaching up to give one of his gold earrings a light tug.

Miroku gritted his teeth and pretended it didn't hurt. "These were once my father's earrings. He took them off and gave them to me before he went to the next world when I was a boy. I wear them so that when I am in doubt I can listen and hear my father's voice guiding me. He would be your grandfather," he explained.

Letting go of her father's ear, Sayuri exchanged a look with her twin, before the both of them leaned up and pressed their ears against Miroku's, waiting in silence before moving back to look up at him in unison. "We don't hear Grandfather."

Miroku burst into laughter, letting go of his mala to hold them both in each arm and kiss their foreheads. "I suppose he's meditating today too."

"Why?" Umeko giggled as she squirmed in her father's hold.

"Because today is the day that the Buddha found Enlightenment. And that means he became very wise, and taught everyone ways to love others and themselves. So, we meditate just like he did when he sat under the Bodhi tree, so that we can be wise and loving like him," he explained.

Sayuri nodded. "Oh... can I wear earrings like yours?"

"Maybe one day."

"Alright girls," Sango knelt down in front of her husband. "How about we go down to the hot spring and have a bath so we can let Daddy and Mushin meditate."

"I think I've done enough meditating for the morning, we can continue in the afternoon," Miroku insisted.

Mushin gave the young Monk and father a side glance and a wry smile. "You won't reach Nirvana by slacking off, Miroku."

Miroku only smiled in return, leaning forward to kiss his wife in spite of their daughters' squeals. "I'm already there."

Cupping her husband's cheek as he leaned forward to kiss her, Sango gladly returned it with a smile of her own. "Well then I guess now would be a good time to tell you..."

"Mama, Daddy, can we play with Mamoru?"

"We want to tell him about the Buddha, like Daddy told us."

Sango sighed, opportunity lost for the moment. "He's in the other room having a nap with Hachi right now. You can teach him everything once he's awake, alright girls?" Oh well, it was only morning, and they'd have plenty of time later. The celebration lasted all day.

"Is that where that old Raccoon Dog is?" Mushin grunted as he pushed himself up to his feet. "I tell you, when he heard that you were coming for Bodhi, he spoke non stop of your children and how excited he was to see them. They have him at their beck and call. He was the same way when you were a child, Miroku."

"Yes, I remember," Miroku shook his head as he rose to his feet as well, holding his daughters at each side. "Come on now girls." Pausing in the doorway when he realized his wife wasn't following, he turned back with a frown. "Sango? Are you coming?"

The taijiya had been staring off at the wall dividing them from the room her son was sleeping in ever since Hachi had been mentioned, a pensive look weighing heavily on her light features. Hearing Miroku call her name, she shook herself out of her daze. "Uh, yes I'll just be a moment. There was something I wanted to talk to Mushin about," she answered. Miroku fixed her with a questioning gaze, but in the end, decided to let it be. As soon as he, and more importantly their children, were out of earshot, she turned to the elder Monk. "Miroku told you about what happened to Inuyasha, I assume?"

Mushin sighed, rubbing his hand along his sore back. "Yes, as soon as you arrived yesterday. It doesn't surprise me. The same thing happened here."

Sango's eyes widened. "Lord Masao has taken control of the nearby village too?"

The monk nodded his head. "The man's castle is just up the mountain."

That was the very moment she knew something was out of place. Sango frowned, padding across the floor to the open shoji door so she could gaze out at the grand mountain on the other side of the valley, the same mountain they could only ever see from a distance from their village. "No, that isn't possible. I've been to the Takeda Castle. It's on the other side of the plains.

"Well, tell that to them," Mushin shrugged as he pointed up the summit looming above them. "That castle was built just this last spring, once Masao became the leader of the Clan, as I heard. I'm not sure what happened to the last leader... what was his name again?"

"Kuranosuke," Sango replied. "I knew him... I was such a fool, I didn't even think about what must have happened to him when Masao introduced himself as the new Lord of the Takeda," she sighed in guilt. Although misguided in his pursuit of her years ago, he'd been a sweet man and genuinely understanding when she declined his proposal. She wouldn't wish anything harmful on him. "That isn't what I wanted to talk to you about, though. I'm worried. Masao despises all demons, and he isn't the most tolerant of practicing Buddhists."

The old Monk shrugged and joined the young woman at the door. "Yes, as I have learned. Whenever his soldiers come down from the castle, they seem to enjoy harassing the village. Most of them are Buddhist, and they attempt to force them into renouncing the Buddha. As for Hachi, I just hide him with the sake when they come around. No one's found either yet."

Sango knew he was joking to try to lighten the atmosphere, but she could only find it within her to shake her head. "Just promise to be careful. You taught Miroku everything he knows, you're family, he would be devastated if anything happened to either of you."

"I give you my word as an honourable Monk," Mushin raised a hand and lowered his head as if in prayer.

"I'm not so sure about honourable,” Sango crossed her arms. “After all you _did_ teach Miroku everything he knows."

Mushin only burst into laughter, hoarse and worn in his old age. "And I was beginning to think you didn't have a sense of humour. Now, funny girl, would you mind helping me hang a few of these lanterns? Traditionally we would hang them on a tree outside, but it's unusually cold for this time of year," he beckoned her to follow him to the corner of the room, where he had three masterfully decorated lanterns waiting to be hung.

Sango was immediately struck with the familiarity as she bent down to pick them up, mindful of the old man's back pain. "Where did you get these?" she asked.

"The merchant was selling them in the market a few days ago at a fair price,” Mushin shrugged, “and we haven't had anything so beautiful at the temple in such a long time."

Sango hummed under her breath as she turned the lantern over in her hands, slowly becoming more and more convinced that it was one of Inuyasha's. The ones he'd made in the summer were still used around the village by those who bought them, and the craftsmanship was easy to pick out. "Did the merchant say anything about the Lantern Maker?"

"No, but I didn't really ask. It hadn't come to mind," Mushin answered. "Why?"

Leaning down to pick up the rest of the lanterns, Sango turned back to the Monk and offered a smile. "No reason. Now, where do you want these hung?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kagome stared at the white ribbon as if it would come to life at any moment and wrap around her neck. She'd woken up that morning to find three ladies of the castle waiting to serve her breakfast and help her get dressed - an odd way to start the day in her opinion, but she'd been careful to keep that to herself. As she learned, Masao went out of his way, again, to provide her with a thick, warm robe to wear in the cold mountain climate, along with a brand new kimono and hakama made from sturdier fabric. All of that she had accepted with a tight lip, but now that the ladies were gone and she was left alone in her room, it was a silent battle between her and the white ribbon.

They had told her Masao thought it would suit her better to keep her hair tied back as most priestesses did. It was, as he put it, charming that she tended to leave her long hair free, but it suited her much better to keep it neat. And, as Kagome had learned, he did not make _suggestions_. He only gave veiled orders.

"Lady Kagome?" One of the young women who had tended to her earlier peaked inside. Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin with a start. The young woman bowed her head apologetically. "Lord Masao is ready for your audience."

Quickly recovering, Kagome nodded. "I'll be there in a moment, thank you."

Picking up the ribbon, Kagome weighed it in her hands for a moment, before she slipped it behind her neck and tied her hair back in a bow. She refused to look at her reflection in the small mirror leaning against the wall. As she rose to her feet, she picked up the edge of the blanket from her futon and tossed it over the mirror's surface. She didn't want to see what she looked like with her last piece of personal freedom tied and bound.

Kagome followed the young woman outside and down the open walkways around the courtyard and garden, flashes of mountains and the valley bellow visible through the thick pillars. As much as she would have liked to, she knew she couldn't stop and enjoy the view. Masao was not one to be kept waiting. The woman stopped in front of the door to what looked like the tea room and bowed, gesturing for her to enter. With a murmured thanks, Kagome stepped inside, only to nearly collide with someone on their way out. "Oh, I'm sorry," she quickly recovered herself, taking a step back when she looked up and realized who it was.

Captain Yorino glared down at her. Kagome braced herself for another one of his offhanded comments, clenched her fists so she wouldn't shiver at the slimy tone of his voice, but he said nothing. Bowing with a short grunt, he slipped past her out the door and stormed off. She looked after him, but didn't have much time to wonder what had gotten him so irritated when she heard her name called from inside.

"Lady Kagome!" Masao beckoned her with a wide smile from where he sat at a tea table. "Come, join me."

Kagome obeyed with her head held high, lowering herself onto one of the plush cushions. The table was set near an open engawa, the room itself clinging to the mountain face and looking down over the quaint village tucked into the basin of the valley between this mountain and its sister. The drop was so steep, she found herself leaning away from the opening, as if one little tumble could send her down the mountain.

A tray of tea was set on the table in front of them, steam rising in the cold grey morning air. Masao reached forward and took his own cup before gesturing for Kagome to take hers. "You slept well, I hope? You were warm?"

Holding the tea cup under her face so the steam would rise and warm her skin, Kagome nodded and tried not to look at her reflection in the water. "Yes, my room was just perfect," she replied in a subdued tone.

"Excellent!" Masao's grand voice echoed, breaking the serene silence. "I truly am thrilled to have you here. Your fame is known all throughout Japan in the countless lives you saved. Having you at my side will help me bring the whole country together under peace."

Kagome had to bit her lip to keep from snapping that Inuyasha had saved those lives along with her. "I will do my best."

"I know you will," Masao smiled. "As for your duties..."

She knew perfectly well what her duties were, she'd been performing them just fine before he ever invaded their lives. Kagome tuned him out, nodding and humming under her breath in mock attention as she let her eyes wander the ornate wall behind him, filled with hanging scrolls and art depicting Gods and spirits. What caught her attention was a long blanket draped over some indiscernible shape, pieces of embroidered fabric in different sizes sewn together.

A newcomer to the room, kneeling and bowing in the doorway, broke her from her trance as soon as Masao stopped talking. "Apologies my Lord, but the commanding officers of your men have asked for a meeting before tonight," the man reported, his voice shaking.

Masao's eyes narrowed. "I expressly told you that I was _not_ to be interrupted during my tea with Lady Kagome,” he growled. The man flinched back, anticipating a blow when Masao only sighed and shook his head. "But, I suppose it can't be helped. You're welcome to finish your tea, Lady Kagome. The castle is your home. I will try to meet with you again later today. Forgive me." With a short bow, the young Lord rose to his feet and followed his servant out of the room.

Kagome waited until his footsteps faded into silence before she dared to move again, abandoning her tea as she crossed the room to the blanket that had caught her eye earlier. As her fingertips brushed over the surface, afraid it would crumble beneath her touch, she _knew,_ and the realization made her tremble and her face pale. She had seen each separate patch of beautiful embroidery before but never had she seen the whole piece completely.

This was Kaede's embroidery. The patch under her fingers was the piece she had when she’d appeared as a child, and had been dancing with Rin. The one sewed next to it was the one she had when she appeared to her and Inuyasha the first time. Above that was the one that had fallen from her hand the day she lead her through the forest and reached out to her. Surrounding them, intricate patterns she'd never seen before had been stitched together, covered with lanterns and howling dogs, arrows and swords, blue crystals and twisting dragons. At the centre of it all was the fabric she had been embroidering the day she died; red silk with a black moon and surrounded by fire.

Quickly looking around her, Kagome pulled the fabric off of whatever it had been covering and hastily folded it, shoving it in the folds of her kimono. The layers she had been given to wear easily hid the bump. Just as she had been about to turn and run from the room so she could hide the quilt with her own belongings, the object it had been draped over caught her eye. A little cerulean bird shook itself awake and sang up to her from within its iron cage.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sitting restless at the table with her family, Umeko suddenly pushed away her rice and milk and rose up. "I have to go to the bathroom," she announced to the table, bringing a round of giggling from her twin.

Miroku sighed, setting his meal down so he could stand and bring her outside. Hachi jumped up before he had the chance. "I'll take her! You keep eating Master, I don't mind," the Raccoon Dog offered, already rounding the table before anyone could protest.

"By all means, then," Miroku laughed at the demon's eagerness to help care for his children.

Taking Umeko by the hand, though she was not that much shorter than he was, Hachi led her outside and into the forest behind the temple. "There, now you go just over there, and I will wait for you right here," he pointed off to a little grove of trees, turning his back once she walked off so she could have her privacy.

Umeko nodded and followed the direction he had been pointing in. However, once she had finished her business, it didn't take much for her quiet curiosity to take over. The three year old wandered off into the deep forest, the last light of the coming dusk guiding her on her new found adventure. Umeko had always been the most inquisitive and observant of the twins. Although Sayuri was louder and more energetic, Umeko was always the one to wander off. Hachi didn't know that, and so it only seemed inevitable that by the time he realized she was gone, the little girl couldn't hear him calling her name. The sun was setting, day was fading fast, and before long, she was lost.

Now, she just wanted to go home. Umeko stumbled over the uneven forest floor, turning in circles as she cried for her mother and father to come find her. As she was turning, a root caught her foot and sent her tumbling down, cutting her knee on a rock. Her wailing cries were swallowed by the trees, silent as night approached, and her knee bled.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Inuyasha caught the scent on the wind, strong enough to reach him in his waning power. His stomach lurched, head snapping toward the door as he leapt to his feet and tore the branches away. The Hanyou stumbled outside, his heart pulsing with every inch closer to the horizon the Sun sank.

Startled by Inuyasha's sudden reaction, Shippo followed him out the door. "Inuyasha? What's wrong?"

"It's one of the twins... Umeko," he choked. "I can smell her blood."

"What?! B-But how-"

"I don't _know_ how Shippo!" the Hanyou snapped. Struggling to hold onto his power as long as he could, he turned in every direction, taking in the breeze coming at him from up the mountain at every angle. "We must be close to Mushin's temple." Meaning Kagome was there. He cursed himself for not recognizing their scents sooner, New Moon be damned.

"Wait, do you hear that?" Shippo's frightened gaze traveled to the mountain on the other side of the steep valley.

"Hear what?" Inuyasha's hands shook.

Shippo looked back up at him. "It sounds like... drums."

He's thought it was only his heart beat, but when with that word his heart stopped and the pulse kept going, he realized Shippo was right. On the mountain face, a stream of torches trickled down into the valley, drums echoing through the dusk. A single crack of thunder pierced the beat, punctuated by rising shouts from the village below. The torches spilled between houses. Gunpowder and blood threatened to overpower Umeko's scent.

"Shippo, you have to transform _now,_ " Inuyasha barked, turning toward the child with an urgency in his eyes that knocked the breath out of him.

The kitsune stumbled back. "But I can't!"

"Shippo, you have to do it _now!_ I don't care what, just something I can hide. _Do it!"_

Something in his voice, how genuinely scared he sounded and how hard he was trying to hide it, spurred Shippo into action. Pulling a leaf out of his vest, he jumped in the air and held his breath. A cloud of smoke surrounded him, disappearing to leave a beaded mala with two small tufts of fur hanging from a gemstone falling in his place. Inuyasha snatched it before it could hit the ground, wasting no time before stuffing it into his haori.

Inuyasha took off down the mountainside in a race against the sunset.


	19. Chapter 19

Despite his earlier promise to try to meet up with her later, Kagome didn't see Masao again for the remainder of the day, to absolutely no loss. After fleeing from the tea room like every glance that bore into her knew what she had taken, she had gone back to her room to hide the embroidered cloth under her futon. Dawning her thick kimonos in layers against the cold, she then went outside with what she hoped was an unreadable expression.

With nothing else to do but wait for the day to pass so she could return home, Kagome allowed herself to wander around the castle, speaking with the servants and avoiding the more brutish looking soldiers. The conversations never lasted for long though. Everyone was either too busy or too afraid of saying the wrong thing, all walking on eggshells in her presence. As irritating at it was, she didn't dare complain. She probably wasn't the most approachable at the moment, with her imperial garbs and her status as the Lord's guest. Still, she never thought she could be so lonely surrounded by so many people.

It was after an attempt was once again rejected that she ran into the cattle farmer's son, and quite literally. As she turned around to head back through the open corridor overlooking the gardens, shoulders slumped and head bowed in dejection, she nearly walked straight into the boy. Stumbling back, she righted herself to find him looking back at her, absolutely terrified. "Oh, Hachiro! It's you!"

"M-My apologies Lady Kagome!" he cried, dropping down to his knees in a formal bow. "I did not mean to disturb you! Please forgive me!"

The poor boy looked absolutely mortified, and the way his armour rode up his shoulders gave him the appearance of a turtle shrinking back into its shell. The sight alone tugged on Kagome's heartstrings. She quickly lowered herself down to him, ignoring the confused and disapproving glances of the castle servants passing by. "No, no, it's okay! It was my fault, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

Hesitantly sitting up, Hachiro looked up at her with red-rimmed eyes and quivering breath. "Y-You'll promise not to tell Lord Masao?"

"Of course not, there's nothing to tell." The implication of the punishment he might receive if Masao found out sent a chill down her spine. For something as trivial as bumping into her, the boy seemed scared for his life.

"T-thank you, Lady Kagome," he reached up to wipe at his eyes.

Rising to her feet, Kagome leaned down to him and offered him her hand. "You're very welcome. Would you like to join me for a while?"

Hachiro's eyes widened, a warm blush creeping up his freckled cheeks despite the cold. "M-me?"

Kagome smiled. "That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Well... I-I don't have any duties until the evening." Slowly gaining confidence, he took her hand and pulled himself to his feet, holding on for a few moments too long before he got embarrassed and dropped it. "You really want me for company?"

Stifling a laugh to spare him his ego as she began to walk, Kagome nodded. "I'd love nothing more, Hachiro."

The young cattle farmer jolting, staring at her in awe. "Wait, you know _my_ name?" he asked in disbelief, as he scrambled after her. 

"I spoke to your father on the journey here, he was assigned to walk with my carriage,” Kagome explained. "The cow you raised is beautiful by the way, very strong, too. Thank you for letting her pull my carriage." There hadn't been any ' _allowing_ ' in the situation, but she thought it might make the boy feel a little better. He looked so incredibly out of place among the castle staff.

"Yeah," Hachiro laughed bashfully, "she is. Her name's Hisano. I'm still in charge of taking care of her when we go out on the campaign, but I don't get to see her as much anymore."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Kagome offered genuinely. They continued to walk in silence for a few moments, only their footfall to fill it before Kagome stopped and looked out from between the red pillars at the lower levels of the castle and the courtyard. "The castle is so quiet... it's eerie."

Hachiro followed her gaze. "It always gets quiet like this before something important happens. The air feels tense... sort of like the way it feels before a storm," he murmured.

Kagome's breath caught in her throat. "What did you say?"

"Hm?" Hachiro frowned. "Oh, I said the way the air feels right now is like how it feels before a storm is about to break. The trees are all bare now, but you can tell by the-"

"The leaves," Kagome finished for him. "Yeah, I know..." The dead quiet of the castle made her shiver. Something was wrong, something was _happening_ , and she was being kept in the dark; caged and smothered. Still, maybe there was one thing she could do with her time here. "Say, Hachiro..." she began. "What do you know about Lord Masao?"

Not thinking much of the question, Hachiro shrugged, his ill-fitting armour clinking with the movement. "Not all that much, I guess. I know that he's only been in power since... this past spring, I think. The story goes that he was the _real_ heir to the Takeda throne, and he showed up out of the blue one day to reclaim it. There wasn't even a fight. He was so powerful that Lord Kuranosuke just handed it over to him and demanded that his people be subservient to him. No one knows what happened to the old Lord."

Kagome had to stop herself from clenching her fists. She could only guess what had truly happened to him.

"Anyway, after that, he united the other branches of the Takeda Clan under him, changed the flag, and built this castle. He said something about wanting a pure new start to make up for the sins of his ancestors. While it's been under construction, he's been raising his armies, saving villages from other clans and taking them under his protection... literally sometimes," Hachiro finished.

Kagome frowned. "All of this since spring?”

Reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, Hachiro had to push his oversized helmet forward over his face to get to the skin. "Yeah. I mean, a lot of villages were already part of the Takeda territory, but he started expanding pretty quickly, thanks to his muskets."

Kagome sighed, leaning against a red pillar at her back for support. "Mhm. All thanks to those muskets." And the Godstone, whatever it really was. "Well, thank you Hachiro. I don't want to keep you from your duties and get you in trouble."

Bowing so low she thought he might tip over, Hachiro straightened up again and offered her a toothy smile. "You're very welcome, Lady Kagome. Come find me if you need anything." With that, once he righted himself and was sure he wouldn't really fall, he continued on his way through the castle to whatever mundane task he had been assigned to.

"Tell your father I said hello!" Kagome called after him, not entirely sure he heard as he rounded the corner of the engawa. Alone again, Kagome pulled her robes a little tighter around her body against the chill and hurried back inside.

The day continued on, still without a sighting of Masao. Every hour passed without him was a blessing, but at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. It was as Hachiro had said, there was something in the air, an ominous and suffocating cloud looming in the distance. After that encounter, now matter how welcome the distraction had been, she was left feeling heavy and cold. She returned to her room, was brought food, offered hot baths and other luxuries, but only accepted her meals politely. She had no intention of getting comfortable there.

It wasn't until dusk was beginning to settle over the mountains and valleys that she emerged from her room again, craving fresh air and the last rays of chilled sunlight. Kagome wandered across the castle grounds until she found a low outcropping she could climb to up between the stone wall and the natural incline of the mountain. She supposed it was an empty watch post, a rampart, but why it would be empty didn't occur to her. As she sat on the stone and leaned back against the wall, her legs propped up beside her, Kagome stared out over the range and watched the dull colours of the sunset fade from grey to a deep blue.

The sun hadn't quite disappeared yet when she heard the thunder. Kagome's arms instinctively wrapped around herself, her heart dropping when she realized only a moment after that it was a single shot of gunfire. Scrambling to her feet, she ran to the edge of the rampart wall and leaned over to look down at the collection of lights and rooftops in the basin of the valley; a village. Torches spilled down in a fiery waterfall from the mountain path from the gates of Seichi Castle. Within seconds, the air was filled with volley shots, growing more and more chaotic. The shouts and screams just barely reached the summit of the mountain. Kagome held her hands over her mouth in horror.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Spinning around, Kagome came face to face with Masao, his eyes gazing tenderly down at the brutality. "What have you done?!" she demanded.

Masao sighed and stepped forward, far too close for her liking. "Of course, I didn't mean the force I had to send. It is unfortunate but necessary. What is beautiful is what this _means_ , Lady Kagome," his gaze flitted down to her with a warm smile. "A new tomorrow for all of Japan."

Kagome stepped back in time with his approach, her hands trembling. "Your new tomorrow is killing innocent villagers?!"

"I told you once before," he answered sharply. "I believe in second chances. They had theirs."

"You also said you don't _slaughter,_ " she hissed.

" _This_ is not slaughter!" Masao roared, and for a moment, Kagome swore she felt the very mountain shake. She stumbled back until she hit the rampart wall, but her posture remained rigid in an attempt to stay strong on her own. Tense silence gave away to Masao sighing. "I gave them their chance, and they refused to obey. I will _not_ tolerate disobedience under my rule. No, this is not slaughter. This is a consequence."

Trying to compose herself, Kagome looked over her shoulder at the village below, the fires growing stronger as the soldiers lit haystacks and what was left of their fields. "What... what did they refuse?" she asked, her mouth dry.

"Fealty to the natural Gods," Masao growled.

Kagome paled. "This was about religion? They were your people..."

"They were _Buddhists,"_ he spat. "Lady Kagome, the Buddhists do not honour the Gods. What's worse, they acknowledge their existence and still deny their power over them. They are selfish, self-obsessed. All they are concerned with is their own souls, of _escaping_ the Gods in the cycle of rebirth."

"That's not true..." Kagome breathed.

"They have no place here anymore. The very heart of my ambition is the Rebirth of Japan," Masao smiled, ignoring Kagome's fear and placing his hand on her shoulder, turning around to face the valley. "Lady Kagome... I hold power beyond your wildest dreams." His free hand reached up to clasp the crystal hanging from his neck. "I will create a land free of hurt and suffering, free from _Demons_ , where those who devote themselves to the Gods will reign. Those like you." Masao's hand on her shoulder burned like frozen iron.

"Lord Masao!" A soldier called from before, bowing down on one knee and lowering his head. "We have prisoners. They are being transported up the mountain now."

Heaving a sigh and rolling his shoulders as if to lament the burden this task put on him, Masao let go of Kagome and turned to the stairs leading down from the alcove. "I'm afraid I must get back to my duties. Please think about all I have told you, Lady Kagome. I understand what this must look like... but you'll come to see it my way in time."

Kagome made no acknowledgment of him as he left, frozen in place until he was long gone. Staring down the mountainside in abject horror, she felt all the blood in her body drain out and leave her feeling a phantom chill every time a thunderous gunshot was fired through the night. Sinking down to her knees, the Priestess' eyes clouded over in a blank stare. How had she ended up here? How could everything have gone so wrong when she tried so hard to make the best of everything thrown at her? Inuyasha was gone, the hearts and minds of her village turned against him, and now she feared Miroku and Sango would be next.

She would be well and truly alone.

Something cold melted on her lip. Kagome slowly turned her head to the moonless sky and watched as soft, clean snowflakes drifted down from the clouds and fell to earth.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Miroku glanced toward the door for the tenth time in the past minute, waiting for it to slide back and for Hachi to bring his daughter back to the dinner table. They hadn't been gone too long, he just assumed the Raccoon Dog was playing with her, but he did hope they'd hurry back soon. Something in the air was acidic.

"Miroku, you've gone so quiet! Have some more sake!" Mushin cheered from his seat. "What's troubling you?"

The monk sighed. "Nothing is troubling me, Master Mushin. And aren't we forbidden from drinking sake on Bodhi?" he pointed out with a sly smirk.

Mushin only laughed. "I don't think the Buddha would be opposed to some fun!"

"Yes, as you've said all day."

Setting his sake cup down for the moment, Mushin grunted as he pushed himself to his feet and crossed the small room over to his pupil. "Here, I will find out what ails you. Let me read your palm," he said as he knelt down and grabbed Miroku's hand before the young man had a chance to answer. Pushing out his fingers, he studied the lines carefully before looking up at him with a grave expression. "Miroku, I am afraid you are going to die very soon."

Miroku rolled his eyes and pulled his hand back. "You've been saying that my whole life."

Figuring she should step in to make peace, Sango laughed and offered the old Monk her own palm. "What does mine say? Anything about family? Changes?"

Taking the young woman's palm, Mushin studied it as he had Miroku's. "It says... your fool of a husband is going to die very soon."

Indignant to Sango's increasing laughter with Sayuri joining in just to vex her poor father, Miroku glared at his old caretaker. "Listen here, you-" Rapidly approaching footsteps silenced his complaint. The room went still as shoes against stone echoed up from the front steps of the temple.

Finally, Mushin broke the dead quiet. "That must be the villagers joining our meditation tonight,” he sighed as he pushed himself back up and began walking out of the room to the front door. "I did tell them to be here by sundown. The time must have gotten away from me," he mused.

Miroku watched the elder Monk go with an uneasy feeling churning in his gut, but didn't protest. Turning back to his meal, he raised the bowl of rice and milk to his lips, and took a few long sips. As he lowered it back to his single table, he noticed that his wife's bowl was still full. "Sango?"

Snapping out of a daze from staring at her lap where Sayuri and Mamoru were cuddled, Sango looked up at her husband and blinked away her lingering thoughts. "Yes?"

"You've hardly touched your food," he frowned.

"Oh," the taijiya looked down at her table and sighed. "I guess I'm just not hungry. I feel a little feverish."

"Are you ill?" Miroku pressed. "You’ve seemed fine for the past few days."

"I felt fine until now." Nerves were her problem. Sango hadn't found a spare moment all day to tell Miroku that she was pregnant, between taking care of the kids and helping prepare the temple for the festival. It was starting to wear down on her, and the nervousness only brought back the morning sickness she'd just gotten over. At that point, she realized that if she waited any longer, she'd explode. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at her husband. "Miroku, I-"

A deafening blast shook through the foundations of the temple before they heard the shouts. In an instant, any other conversation was forgotten, and Sango and Miroku were on their feet. A body hit the ground from the front door. Sango swept the children in her lap into her arms and raced to the corner of the room, where she had Hiraikotsu propped up against the wall. She hid Sayuri and Mamoru behind the bone, tucking them out of sight while Miroku grabbed his staff and her katana. "Sayuri, hold Mamoru, stay here, and don't make any sound sweetheart, okay?" she rushed, kissing both their foreheads before standing up and taking her sword from her husband. They moved like clockwork, standing side by side before the children. "Where is Umeko?" Sango asked, her hands tense around the hilt of her sword.

Miroku gritted his teeth, knuckles tightening around his staff as the rapid footsteps approached them. "Hachi has her outside. He'll have heard that and brought her away." Even as he spoke, a desperate prayer repeated itself on a loop in his mind, pleading to whoever would listen to keep her safe.

Sango wanted so desperately to go out and find her. She was about two seconds away from turning around and running outside, knowing Miroku could handle himself, but it was no sooner had she thought it that the door was kicked in, Sayuri screamed, and soldiers with all too familiar clan emblems spilled into the room. Her grip on the katana tightened. These men had muskets, already loaded by her guess. As Miroku used his staff to knock one right out of a soldier's hand, Sango rushed forward and caught the handle of their teapot with her blade, tossing it into the air. The tea spilled out onto three men's musket locks, rendering the gunpowder useless. While they were distracted, Miroku batted the guns out of their hands.

Between the two of them, even as soldiers came piling in from around the temple, they managed to hold their ground. All the while, Sango kept her katana low and close to her abdomen, her expression fierce but her posture defensive. Miroku noticed the change in her fighting style through the fray, and as he struck the last aggressor down, the clues finally clicked into place. His stance remaining strong in case they were attacked again, Miroku looked back at his wife, his face slowly paling. "Sango, are you...?" he breathed.

Catching his gaze as sweat beaded on her brow, Sango only nodded, tight-lipped and rigid.

"Master!" Hachi cried as he came running into the room. "Umeko's gone! She wandered off, I can't find her!"

"What?!" Miroku roared, eyes darting between him and Sango, who stared at him like the world would turn on its side.

Another pair of footsteps dragged their way into the room from the inner corridors of the temple. The two young parents tensed, weapons ready, only to sink back down to their sides when Mushin came limping in with a bruised cheek and a broken staff. "You two go look for her, I will take the children out to the cave out back and erect a barrier."

Miroku nodded. "Sango, go with him."

Sheathing her katana and tying it hastily around her waist, the taijiya rushed forward to her husband. "I'm going with you," she insisted even as her legs shook.

"Sango, please!" Miroku pleaded, leaning his staff up against the wall so he could pull her into his arms. "Go with Mushin and protect the children. Look at yourself, you can hardly stand!"

As much as Sango wanted to argue, she knew by then that it was pointless. She wouldn't do anyone any favours by going out with him, and this was no time or place for her pride. Hands clasping the back of his neck, she pulled him down into a brief and searing kiss, barely giving him enough time to hold her before letting go and rushing to the corner. "Shhh, it's okay now, you were so brave Sayuri," she hushed her crying daughter as she slung Hiraikotsu over her shoulder and gathered the children into her arms. With nothing but a nod to Miroku, she ran out with Mushin following close behind.

"Let's go, Master. We must hurry!" Hachi implored.

Miroku shook his head, running to the opposite door. "Hachi, you go with them."

"But-"

"Do _not_ argue with me right now," the Monk growled. As furious as he was, there was no time to scold him for losing track of his daughter. "Lord Masao's men make no distinction between yokai. They will kill you if they see you. Go with Sango and Mushin." Leaving no room for argument, Miroku grabbed his staff and ran out into the thick forest surrounding the temple.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

As the setting sun took his yoki with it, the soles of Inuyasha's feet became cut and blistered by the forest floor. He'd lost the scent halfway down the mountain, but he'd had it long enough to determine which direction the child was in. Cold wind tearing through him, he refused to pause for a second, his racing heart carrying him down the mountainside. With every flash of orange firelight between the trees, his pulse beat and blood rushed through his head. He didn't need a hanyou's nose to smell the gunpowder anymore, didn't need a dog’s ears to hear the explosions and shouts - or a little girl's cries and the footsteps approaching her. Through the trees up ahead, he could finally see Umeko standing in the middle of a wide dirt path, sobbing as a mass of soldiers on horseback rode toward her.

As the sun set and the moonless night began, Inuyasha burst out of the forest and wrapped his body around her, tumbling across the path. The horses screeched and reared on their hide legs as the flash of red cloth and black hair rolled through a cloud of dirt.

"You! Hault!" their leader shouted down at him.

Inuyasha glared up at the man, teeth gritted and bared out of instinct, only to realize that the leader's gaze had redirected itself down at the mala that had fallen out of his robe. Their eyes met again, the soldier's lips curling in disgust. Reaching out to grab the mala before the soldiers could load their guns, Inuyasha tucked Umeko against his chest and took off running into the trees again, knowing they couldn't follow on horseback. Their shouts soon faded into the distance. 

Umeko continued to cry and sob in his hold, squirming out of fear. Shoving the transformed Shippo back into his robe, he held her head in his free hand and tried to calm her down, never breaking pace in his sprint. "It's okay kid, it's just me. Inu, you remember, dontcha? You've seen me like this." Umeko blinked through her tears to look up at him, just barely able to recognize him in the light of the distance fires. She didn't respond, but she stopped crying, and that was all he could ask for. "Where are your parents?"

That question only bought another round of sniffling cries out of her as she turned and buried her little face against the familiar fire rat robe. She'd wandered off, that much he could tell, just as she had always done since the day she learned to crawl. Cursing under his breath, Inuyasha raced through the dark woods, looking for any landmark he would recognize of Mushin's temple.

"Umeko! _Umeko!_ " Over the drone of distant chaos, he could just barely hear Miroku calling for his daughter. He took off in that direction, finding Miroku with his back to them as he searched. Hearing someone approaching him, the Monk spun around with his staff ready to strike only for it to fall back to his side when he saw who it was. "Inuyasha?!" he gasped, pushing away his shock as his daughter was thrust into his arms. Hurriedly checking her over for injuries, he sighed in relief when all he found was a cut knee, kissing her forehead and holding her close. "What are you doing here?" he turned back to the hanyou-turned-human.

"I was in the area," Inuyasha grunted.

Idly wiping Umeko's cheeks with his thumb, Miroku glanced frantically between him and the mountain. "Inuyasha, you _must_ leave here. If Masao finds you, both you and Kagome will be in danger."

Inuyasha followed the Monk's gaze up to the peak of the mountain. "Masao? He's here?"

"That's his castle, up there."

Inuyasha stared at the mountain face, the silhouette of a castle just barely visible in surrounding torchlight. He'd never been one for strategic thinking before, but it was quickly becoming clear that was what this situation called for. It took only a few moments for him to reach a decision, a plan forming in his mind. "I'm going up there."

Miroku blanched. "Inuyasha, if anyone sees you before you turn back, they'll kill you!"

"I know," Inuyasha interrupted as he began to shed his robe, leaving him in his white kimono. Taking the mala out of the bundle, he threw it into the air and watched as it exploded into a cloud of smoke, leaving Shippo to fall to the ground. Before the boy even had the chance to right himself, Inuyasha tossed his robe to him.

Shippo barely managed to catch everything. "Wha- What's going on? Miroku?" he looked around, trying to orientate himself in his surroundings.

"Shippo, go with Miroku. I'll come back in the morning," Inuyasha commanded as he passed him the tessaiga.

Miroku set Umeko down at his side, the girl clinging to his robes, so he could reach out and hold his best friend by the shoulders. "Inuyasha, _please_ listen to reason!" he implored.

"This is my only chance to get close to Masao without that fucking Godstone getting in the way," Inuyasha grunted. "I'm tired of sitting around and waiting for something to happen, Miroku. I've been playing it safe up until now, but that's not me. I have to do something." Wrenching himself out of the Monk's grasp, Inuyasha turned and started running toward the village.

"Wait!" Miroku called, jogging forward to meet Inuyasha halfway where he’d tentatively stopped. Miroku held out his hand. "Be careful, and come back in one piece before daybreak."

Inuyasha clasped Miroku's arm, the two of them wrist to wrist in a strong hold. "You just take care of your family, Monk. And tell Kagome I'll be okay." With that, he let go and turned toward the village, running through the trees and into the inferno.

It took Miroku a few seconds too long to realize that he was still under the impression that Kagome was with them, as she was supposed to be. "Inuyasha! Wait! Kagome's-" It was too late. His figure was soon consumed by the trees and blazing light. Biting back a curse, Miroku looked back down at his daughter and picked her up, adjusting her comfortably in his arms. He could only pray that Inuyasha would be safe at that point. "Let's get you back," he murmured to Umeko, her bloody knee and tear-stained cheeks pulling at his heartstrings. He only made it a few steps in the other direction before he realized that the kitsune wasn't following. His eyes reflected the distant fire and glowed through the darkness, his expression lost and terrified as he clutched Inuyasha's robe and sword. "Shippo," Miroku called to him, receiving only a teary glance in response. "Come on."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The village below the temple was a disaster, though nothing that he hadn't seen before. Still, no amount of carnage would ever get him used to it. Casualties seemed to be minimal, but it was impossible to ignore the bodies in the streets and the cries of the wounded as Masao's soldiers raided the town. Running through the village, he passed an old soldier mourning over the body of a young man in armour with a sickle in his neck without a second glance.

Coming upon the first empty hut not currently on fire, Inuyasha ducked inside and knelt down in front of a trunk filled with clothes. All he took was a dull grey vest and a hair cord, slipping the worn cloth over his shoulders and tying his hair back. The more unrecognizable he looked, the better, and while he didn't condone stealing, there were more important problems to worry about at the moment.

A scream outside brought him back out into the action. Pushing through the doormat he found a soldier trying to separate two young boys, a second loading his musket and preparing to fire. Inuyasha burst out and caught the armed soldier with a fist uppercutting his jaw, managing to kick the weapon away before it could go off. "Leave them alone!" He roared as he went after the remaining soldier holding one of the boys by his hair. He didn't have his claws, his strength, or his sword, but the one thing his powers didn't take with them was his fighting skill and agility. Those were strengths he honed on his own.

That didn't mean it was enough though. Inuyasha managed to free the boys, watching them scurry off to find their families, but he was soon surrounded by soldiers coming to avenge their comrades. He fought them off as much as they could, dodging blows and delivering his own, but it wasn't long before they descended on him all at once, and even he couldn't evade them. It wasn't until he saw Masao's men loading some of the villagers into iron cages on the back of their carts that he stopped struggling. This was exactly what he needed.

"This one's another Buddhist! Throw him in with the others, but keep him in a separate cell. I want to see him personally," a commanding officer shouted, one Inuyasha recognized from the cavalry he'd saved Umeko from trampling.

Dragged to his feet by rough hands, Inuyasha allowed the soldiers to guide him to the other prisoners, climbing up into the cart on his own. The iron bars were slammed at his back, pushing him further in. As he turned around to look out at the remains of the village, a familiar face caught his eye. Captain Yorino sat on a burly horse and overlooked the brutality, uncaring and indifferent to the pleas of the villagers. Inuyasha snarled, gripping the bars like he could snap them in his fists. He had to keep reminding himself that he was human, and as far as Yorino or anyone else knew, a completely different person.

Pushing away from the bars, Inuyasha leaned back against the iron and crossed his arms over his chest. The sun had just set, and it would be a long trip up the mountain, but the nights themselves were longer now. He had plenty of time to get in there and get out by sunrise. Closing his eyes as the cart jolted to a start with a cry of the whipped cattle, he contented himself to thinking up a plan, something he usually wasn't too adept at. It was as he stood there trying to down out the distressed murmuring of the other captives that he felt something cold melt on his lips. Inuyasha looked up at the moonless sky, watching as thick snowflakes began to fall from the clouds.


	20. Chapter 20

The glowing barrier couldn't keep the sounds of the distant battle out, but the children didn't seem to notice. Only barely catching onto their mother and father's tension, they remained quiet and oblivious to the surrounding chaos. After Miroku had come back with Umeko and Shippo, the little girl had scrambled to her frantic mother, all tears and quivering lips until Sayuri gave her a hug, and the twins found comfort in each other's company. They soon after fell asleep on Sango's lap, pinky fingers entwined. Sango had taken off her green apron to drape over them in addition to Inuyasha's robe, since there wasn't much else that they could do for warmth besides gathering around the little blue fire Shippo had started for them.

Miroku sat next to Mushin, both of them cross-legged and still in meditation as just they had been all day. The atmosphere shifted. Together, they maintained the barrier, the pink glow blending with the blue light of the fire and casting violet shadows into the cave. Mamoru cooed and yawned where he slept on the Monk's lap and Shippo's tails twitched at the sound. The kitsune sat at the edge of the barrier, emerald eyes focused on the mountain at the other side of the deep valley.

No one spoke a word through the muted echoes until Mamoru's cooing turned into wails, his hands reaching out from his swaddling as he squirmed. Miroku's concentration broke. Mushin gave him a gave and understanding smile. "The barrier should hold up on its own well enough now," he whispered to Miroku. "Go ahead, take a break. I'll keep an eye on things up here."

Shoulders falling as his tension melted away, Miroku tenderly lifted his son into his arms and gave the elder monk a short bow. "Thank you, Master." As he stood and carried Mamoru over to Sango, he paused only to look outside the pink tint of the barrier to watch the cascading snow outside.

Taking the baby as Miroku lowered himself down to sit at her side, Sango pushed the fold of her kimono back and raised Mamoru to her breast. She leaned back against her husband as the child began to drink. Her eyes followed Miroku's out to the gentle snowfall. "This is your first time seeing snow, isn't it, Mamoru?" she whispered to the baby. "I'm sure your sisters will teach you all about playing in the snow... and then you can teach your little brother or sister." Smoothing her hand over his downy hair, she sighed and let her eyes wander over the mountain, trying to pick out the lights of the castle in the muted haze. Miroku nuzzled his forehead against the bare expanse of her neck, winding an arm around her waist. His hand came to rest against her lower abdomen as he released a quivering breath. Sango turned her head to press her lips against the crown of his hair. "I know," she murmured.

"I can create sutras to put up around the house..." Miroku began, voice muffled by her skin. "And I'll put a few on the trees surrounding it. They will allow me to erect a barrier at a moment's notice. But..."

"We can't leave Kagome," Sango finished for him. "If worse comes to worse... I don't like it, but I'll take the kids somewhere beyond Masao's influence until we find a way to end this. We just can't leave her alone."

Miroku nodded, pulling back to look down at his wife. "I would rather die than see anything happen to you or the children... and I would rather die than see anything happen to Kagome."

It was dangerous and they both knew it, now more than ever, but neither would be able to live with themselves if they abandoned Kagome when she needed them. Their priority was to their children, and they would do whatever was necessary to protect them. Staying with their friend and protecting their children were not mutually exclusive - or so they prayed.

"Miroku? Sango?" Shippo called, approaching them hesitantly. This was the first time he'd spoken since he came with Miroku and Umeko. He looked up at them through his eyelashes, head low. Without another word needed, the Monk raised his arm from his side and waved the kitsune over, offering a dim smile when Shippo threw himself down and eagerly cuddled up against him. Miroku draped his arm over the boy in comfort. His appearance had changed so drastically since they last saw him, but internally, maybe he hadn't changed as much as he liked people to think. The kitsune's tails curled around him like a blanket, puffs of breath rustling the fur.

The night fell into silence again, letting the children sleep and the snowfall.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Captain Yorino stepped over an indiscernible pile of rubble as he made his way into the middle of the wreckage. Half the village was destroyed. Any resistors had been taken up to the castle and those who were left cowering in their homes... they were all statistics in his mind. It was a familiar scene, comforting in some sickening way. Just another victory. Footsteps crunching in the frozen dirt, he paused and watched as the last cart of prisoners made its way up the mountain. He would be following quickly behind once his business there was done.

Reaching up to yank the crystal dangling from his armour off the chain with his right hand, Yorino was reminded, as he had been for months, that it was practically useless. After being shot by Lord Masao's favoured priestess months ago, he regained only the movement of his fingers, barely that; just enough to load a gun, not enough to bare any strength. Switching to his left hand, he took the Godstone and tossed it, watching as it hung in mid air. The blue light reflected off the powdered snow, and the Captain gave the suspended stone a low bow. "Master."

Lord Masao's voice resounded from within the crystal. "Finished already?" he asked, his tone amused.

"Those who submitted have retired to their homes. Those who refused were either taken prisoner or made into examples," Yorino reported as he straightened up again, back rigid and chin held high in pride of his work.

"How did you decide who lived?"

"You could say we left that up to fate."

Masao let out a long sigh, but otherwise seemed to approve. "Very good, Captain. You'll be joining us soon? I've gathered the officers for celebration."

"Yes, my Lord," Yorino nodded. "But, if I may ask... will Lady Kagome be in attendance?"

"Of course she will be," Masao answered proudly. "After all, that is why we brought her here. I have a feeling that she is still hesitant about our deal. I want her to be certain that this is the best course of action."

"Yes, and I understand that..." Yorino paused, "but, my Lord, I am afraid I do have doubts about her true allegiance. She is so close to that monk, and if you remember the hanyou-"

"The hanyou she destroyed to prove herself," Masao snapped. The crystal's light flashed an ominous violet, forcing Yorino to take a step back . "Lady Kagome's destiny was to put an end to that monster, to succeed in what her _predecessor_ failed to do. It is because of our deliverance from his control that she was able to complete her task. What's more, her fame and power are spread throughout _all_ of Japan. We must have that. You may have your doubts, Captain, but for your own sake keep them silent."

"Y-Yes, my Lord," Yorino stammered. "It was not my place to speak."

"Indeed it wasn't." The Godstone's light calmed into a clear blue once again, and as it changed, so did Masao's tone. "Now, when might we expect you for the dinner celebration?"  
"I am on my way up the mountain now, Master. But first I will check up on the prisoners. I hope you will forgive me for being late."

The glow flared white with Masao's jovial laughter. "Always work first for you, Captain. Very well." Just as quickly as the light intensified, it diminished, breaking whatever spell it had been channelling as it fell to the ground. Everything Masao said about Kagome's predecessor was a complete mystery to him, but it wasn't the type of problem a man like him dwelled on. Yorino stooped down to pick the Godstone up. He was dusting the snow off of it as he caught a child peeking out of a nearby hut from the corner of his eye. The girl was immediately pulled back in with a hushed warning from her father. Without further interest, Yorino clipped the Godstone to his chain again and turned to make his way back to his horse. The beast stomped impatiently.

The occupants of the crowded hut chanced another look outside once they heard the stomping of hooves retreating from the village. The way the man had been speaking to the voice from within his bewitched crystal sounded like a plan for a quiet dinner, like any conversation between familiar associates It was as if the presence in the bewitched crystal and the captain were conversing about dinner plans or something incredibly casual, ignorant of the massacre they caused. Corpses littered the streets and blood was splattered on every bullet-riddled wall. As they watched the silhouette of that man ride away on his horse, he looked no better than a malevolent demon.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Inuyasha bit back a grunt as he was shoved to the prison cell floor, the cold dirt and gravel scraping his human skin. The sound of his body hitting the floor echoed throughout the prison chamber, nearly, but not quite, drowning out the cries of other captives. He recovered and glared up viciously at the soldiers. No sooner had Inuyasha looked up had the hilt of a katana slammed down against his skull. His vision erupted—white, disorientating.

"Where is your mala? Why don't you chant for your Buddha to protect you?" the soldier above him taunted as he raised his sword again.

Inuyasha stumbled to his feet, grabbing the hilt and turning the momentum of the blow. The blunt side of the blade caught the man by his throat, bruising his windpipe and forcing him back, coughing and hacking for breath. Inuyasha threw down the katana with nothing but a snarl, head still throbbing. 

"Get up, Yuudai!" Another soldier shouted to his fallen comrade. Growling in frustration, he stepped into the cell himself to deal with the prisoner, only to share a similar fate as Yuudai when Inuyasha caught his wrist after a failed punch and threw him over his shoulder.

They all came in like that. Just soldiers. Faceless men in uniform armour taking turns, ganging up on their prisoner, taking it as a test of skill to subjugate him. Inuyasha took a few hard hits, but he never let them keep him down, dodging blow after blow. The haze in his mind began to clear the more he defended and fought back. He'd been so desperate to take out his anger and frustration, and for the first time, there was something to fight— something physical rather than a stigma or past trauma... Swiftly moving around fists, feet, and swords, he fought until the crowd of soldiers had dissipated and the barrel of a pistol dug its cold mouth into his forehead. Inuyasha froze.

"Get off your asses and chain this nuisance," Yorino snarled from the other end of the gun, glaring down at Inuyasha without a hint of recognition.

Despite knowing this, Inuyasha couldn't help but feel his heart drop. Yorino was the type of man who wouldn't think twice about pulling the trigger on some random civilian if they happened to get in his way. His eyes narrowed up at the Captain, revealing no fear as the soldiers shot up and took a hold of his arms. They dragged him back to the wall of the cell, clapping heavy iron cuffs around his wrists to keep him from fighting back. Inuyasha didn't struggle against them, his attention trained on Yorino at the cell door as he snuffed the ember of the slow match and sheathed his pistol.

Yorino turned to the other commanding officer, the one who had ordered Inuyasha to be captured in the first place. From what he could see in the torchlight, Inuyasha guessed he was some samurai from a noble family, like the ones he'd seen with the foot soldiers in Kagome's village. Regardless, Yorino outranked him. "I'll leave this one to you, but if I hear any more commotion, I'm shooting him myself. I won't object to you men having your fun on the Lord's orders, but I will not tolerate you making fools of us. Do your job, and be done with it. Am I perfectly understood?"

The samurai nodded, fists clenched, obviously unhappy about being spoken down to. "Yes, sir."

"Good, " Yorino grunted as he stepped out of the cell and stood back against the opposite wall to watch. It was so rare that he had any entertainment, after all.

With a sickening grin, the samurai cracked his knuckles and approached the prisoner. Inuyasha remained straight-backed and defiant as a fist caught the side of his head. Recovering from the blow, lip curled in a snarl, he glared up at the samurai again. Out of instinct, he tugged uselessly at his chains. "That's better," the man sneered as he grabbed Inuyasha by the shoulders and threw him down to knee him in the stomach. Inuyasha choked, air forced from his lungs. The samurai kicked him in the side while he was on the ground. He curled in on himself managing to catch his aggressor off guard before steadying himself onto his forearms and throwing his feet up to nail him on the chest. The lower-ranking soldiers snickered from behind the bars as he stumbled back. "Shut up!" the samurai roared, gesturing wildly toward their prisoner. "Chain his feet!"

Despite Inuyasha's attempts, the chains kept him from evading another katana hilt striking his head and temporarily paralyzing him. The soldiers took this opportunity to rush in and cuff his ankles. The chains were long for Inuyasha to move away from the wall, but they limited the motions of his hands and feet—limiting his ability to protect himself. Inuyasha snarled and tugged tirelessly at the iron. This was humiliating, ironically even as a human. Come morning it would take no effort to break free, but he wasn't willing to risk staying that long. Perhaps he hadn't thought this entirely through.

Watching the supposed villager struggle against his bonds, the samurai laughed and approached him with a new and confident air. Reaching up to his armour, he began to untie the strings holding the forged sheets around his body, letting his protection fall to the floor. A soldier rushed forth immediately and scooped them up off the dirt floor. Now free of restrictions, he rotated his arm at the shoulder, grinning manically.

Inuyasha braced himself for a punch. The samurai kicked him in the head. "What is your name, boy?" He asked. Inuyasha spit at his feet. The samurai backhanded him. " _What_ is your name?"

Inuyasha fought through the pounding in his head. He grumbled a vague name under his breath, only half aware of what he was saying.

The samurai struck him again. "Speak up!"

"Toga," he grunted.

"Toga," the samurai repeated, disinterest heavy in his tone. He reached forward and grabbed a handful of the beads around Inuyasha's neck and elbowed him in the chest when his prisoner tried violently to wrench himself back. "What's this then, Toga? Another mala?" he scoffed. "How many do you people need?"

Inuyasha's voice was hoarse and strained, but he grinned as he replied, "Shinto beads, jackass."

The samurai's face twisted. With no yoki to stop him, he yanked the beaded necklace off over Inuyasha's head. Inuyasha struggled desperately against his chains, watching in a moment of panic as the beads of subjugation were tossed onto the other side of the open cell door. His shoulders were suddenly too bare and weightless the one piece of Kagome he always had to ground him stripped away. He watched, helpless as one of the soldiers caught it and started showing it to his fellow soldiers. They argued amongst themselves about how they could see Buddhist from Shinto beads. "Hard to tell the fucking difference, isn't it?" Inuyasha snarled. "Now _give them back_."

He received only another blow in reply. "Remember your place, boy." The samurai grabbed him by the jaw and forced their eyes to meet. "So, what are you? Shinto or Buddhist?" He spat the last word like a curse.

It would have been so easy for Inuyasha to lie. To be honest, he never really considered himself either, but his mother had been Buddhist, and a stubborn need to defend that forced his answer. "Buddhist."

The samurai tightened his grip on Inuyasha's jaw. "You deny the natural right of the Gods' authority?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, the effect lost with his bruised face.. "Look, it's nothing personal. I just don't think the Gods and I would get along very well."

"Then you still deny them. You worship your Buddha."

"Not really."

"I thought you said you were a Buddhist?" The samurai's eyes narrowed.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Never said I was a good one." He would have laughed at his own reply if he hadn't been sucker-punched in the gut a mere second later. Groaning as the air was forced from his lungs, he slumped over, held up only by the samurai grabbing him by his hair.

"Then I suppose it is time to reconsider," he hissed, throwing his victim against the stone wall. Stepping forward to block out the torchlight, he loomed over his bloody victim. "You will rot in here until I return."

Crumpled on the floor, head pierced by what felt like a thousand molten swords, Inuyasha watched the samurai leave with a surge of fury towards his arrogance—for daring to turn his back on him. He stumbled to his feet, charging after the samurai, but unable to close the distance with the chains holding him back. The iron bars slammed shut. The soldiers gathered to watch and glanced at him with predatory smirks before they followed their commander out, taking his beads with them. Inuyasha gave them all one last snarl as they disappeared, spilling out the door with only Yorino left behind.

The captain leaned back against the wall studying the prisoner with a critical gaze. Inuyasha immediately straightened his posture despite the fact that he could hardly stand. His hands curled into fists as he glared back at Yorino. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of the gruesome scar left by Kagome's arrow. Inuyasha grinned out of satisfaction and pride in Kagome as he looked back up at. "What happened to your hand? It looks pretty nasty, must have been infected. You're lucky it didn’t spread. Could’ve taken all your limbs with it. Actually, I think you'd look better as a limbless snake."

Yorino pushed himself off the wall with a growl, reaching for the pistol at his side. He would have drawn it if a voice hadn't called from outside.

"Captain! Lord Masao and Lady Kagome are heading toward the dining room now."

Pistol halfway out of the holster, Yorino engaged himself in an internal battle as he stared down the prisoner. With a frustrated huff, he shoved the pistol back into its place at his side and stormed out of the prison.

Inuyasha watched him leave, eyes trained on the empty doorway until he couldn't hear his retreating footsteps. The other prisoners were quiet now. Everything seemed to be quiet but the heavy clanking of his chains as he collapsed onto the bed of straw in the corner. Back against the wall, Inuyasha let his head gently rest against the cold stone. This was a fine mess he'd gotten himself into. He'd nearly been shot three times in one night, was trapped in an iron cell, was human, and was surrounded by hundreds of people who wanted him dead. In all honesty, he had been through worse, but in any of those cases, he'd simply blasted his way through the problem.

This wasn't that simple. Nothing was that fucking simple anymore. Inuyasha cursed himself for not fighting harder from the very first day Masao invaded their lives. If he'd been stronger, he could have resisted the power of the crystal just long enough to unleash the Tessaiga on him. It would have been over in an instant, and he believed that, despite the rational voice telling him it wasn't true, there was nothing he could have done. For the first time, Inuyasha found himself missing the days they had been chasing after Naraku. Naraku was an enemy he could destroy through strength and skill alone. Masao was an enemy that fought not only through power, but through people.

Slowly letting himself sink down into the hay, Inuyasha let out a long groan and assessed the damage: at least three broken ribs, and from what he could tell, his face was battered to all hell. He reached up to the cord tying his hair back, pulling on the end to let it all spill down across his shoulders in a black curtain. Heavy eyes desperate for rest, Inuyasha let sleep take over. He was only seconds from slipping under when he heard the single chime of a bell.The sound was so pure it seemed to pierce straight through the stone walls and into his chest. His eyes snapped open. Turning his head to the side, he looked out the little barred window of his cell overlooking the castle courtyard.

Another bell chime. Inuyasha's heart stopped cold..

Kikyo moved through the virgin snowfall in a solemn procession. The vision was so uncanny he had to take a moment to ground himself in reality, the frozen iron digging into his palms as he gripped the cell grate. In his mind, he knew who it was, but he was watching _Kikyo,_ that part of her melancholy soul reborn. She walked like the moon across the sky, hair tied back in a ribbon, flowing behind her in tendril sails. The snow melted on her head and weighed down the fringe, straight across her brow. The resemblance was haunting. Her eyes struck him the hardest; narrow and _dead_ with a blank stare. The sadness they held was so deep, he might as well have grabbed a shovel and buried it himself.

Inuyasha held his breath. She was close enough to touch if he reached out through the bars. Gods, he'd give anything to touch her. Had it not been for Masao and Yorino walking ahead of her, or the ceremonial bell carrying servants trailing behind, he would have; even just for his fingertips to graze her pale skin. Ironic, that it was the moonless night- there she was, absent from her celestial throne.

Inuyasha didn't ask himself why Kagome was there, or why she was following Masao, or why she wasn't with Miroku and Sango. Heart clenching behind bruised ribs, he asked himself how this had happened- how she had reverted to this part of her soul to protect herself. He asked himself how he had _failed_ her.

The bell chimed. Inuyasha slumped back against the wall.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kagome stared ahead, seated at the table with her hands in her lap. The room was filled with an uproar of laughter and boasting, clinking sake cups, and poignant sake being poured. Every high ranking officer of Masao's enormous army was dinning in the castle that night, packed into the room with an abundance of food and toasts. They lined the walls from end to end, with her sitting at Masao's left and Yorino at his right. Every once in awhile, she'd feel Yorino’s glare burning into her skin or his well-disguised frustration at being forced to use chopsticks with his left hand. She never turned to look back at him though. Her gaze was focused entirely on the little bird cage against the far wall.

"My friends!" Masao called from his seat at the head of the room, taking his sake cup with him as he rose to his feet. "Tonight is not only a victorious night for our battle in the village below, but a celebration of our every victory! Our men in the western provinces have overtaken the Mori and Amago clans, liberating their people to our care!"

Kagome shivered, knowing their "care" was most likely the same type that they showed to the village they raided earlier that night. She could still hear the thunderous echoes of gunfire and screaming from her memory.

"It is by your leadership that we are able to reach such great power," One of the samurai bowed. "It hasn't yet been a year since you claimed your Lordship and here we are with nearly half of the island under your command!" The room erupted into concurring cheers.

Laughing along with them, Masao clapped the man on the back. It was only for a split second, but Kagome swore she saw him flinch at the young Lord's touch, as if he had been burned. It passed in an instant though, and Masao didn't seem to notice. "Yes, we have been expanding our influence magnificently..." he trailed off, tipping back his sake and letting the cup fall from his hands, crashing to the floor. He continued on without acknowledging it. "But that's not enough."

"Well, of course..." An officer replied. "You must become the Emperor and unite the lands again. And we will continue to serve you until we see that day."

Sighing as if dealing with a group of children, Masao shook his head and began to pace the length of the room. "No, it's nothing as simple as that."

A low murmur spread through the room until one samurai was brave enough to speak up. "My Lord... what do you mean?"

"My mission is not just to unify the lands," Masao explained, looking every man in the eyes as he passed. "I must unify them physically and spiritually. Japan will only stand strong as one kingdom under one belief. The Gods are the only ones who can give me what I need. And more importantly," he stopped in the centre of the room, "The war between humans and demons has destroyed our land more than wars amongst humans ever could. Japan must be purged of all demons. I want them extinct."

"But..." an older soldier spoke up from the far end of the room, "my Lord... demons and spirits and humans, together in our world—that is what maintains the natural balance. Isn't that the Shinto teaching?"

Masao closed his eyes and smiled, laughing under his breath as he reached for a small dagger in the belt of his robe. With a swift movement, he flicked his wrist and threw it across the room. The blade embedded itself into the wall, just an inch away from the old man's head; the colour drained from his face.

"Demons are a challenge put on earth for _me_ to conquer," Masao replied calmly as he approached the veteran with the slow steps of a predator. "And I _will_ win, as I always do." He reached out and plucked the dagger from the wall. "Be careful what you say, old man. My blade never misses on purpose."

"Y-Yes sir."

"Glad you understand." In spite of his own actions, Masao's smile seemed genuine as he clapped the old man on the shoulder. Again, Kagome watched as someone tried not to shrink away from the burning touch. Sheathing the dagger, he motioned for a servant standing in the corner of the room to come forward. She brought up a large scroll and handed it to the warlord with a bow, scurrying off as quickly as she came. Masao took the scroll and unravelled it in the centre of the room to reveal a large map. "We must expand our efforts to restore Japan to complete purity. Here you see the human villages we have saved, the warlords we have conquered, and the demons we have destroyed."

Kagome let her eyes trail over the map, picking out her village among those “saved.” To the east, a red X had crossed out the mountain where the Kitsune Monastery had been. Her gut churned at the vast amount of other little Xs littering the map. She wondered how many of the slain had been malicious and how many had been innocent.

Masao pointed toward the top of the map. "Our next focus should be on claiming the North. The Wolf Demon Tribes claim the mountains stretching from the far north to the northwest. They will be our most stubborn opponents, but after being slaughtered so many times, their numbers are few. They can easily be overtaken. Susumu, that is where you will take your men..."

Kagome stopped listening. Fingers idly twisting the fabric of her winter robe, she drowned out the noise with thoughts of Koga, Hakkaku, Ginta, and the rest of the wolf demons. They were strong, she knew that. They could put up a fight, but so could Inuyasha. The combination of the Godstones and muskets could slaughter them all. Tears burned at her eyes. Her friends could be killed, and here she was having dinner with their potential murderers.

As Masao outlined his plans, the samurai gradually got up from their tables to get a closer look, conversing amongst themselves and leaving their empty plates for the servants to clean. Kagome looked up, brought out of her thoughts when they began to move. As she did, through blurry vision, a glint of lamplight reflected off of familiar beads, catching her eye. She had to blink a few times to be certain, but a soldier positioned at the door was wearing Inuyasha's beads of subjugation around his neck.

Rising to her feet, Kagome attempted to steady her trembling legs as she walked across the room, her socks barely making a sound on the tatam. She passed the birdcage as she walked, the little blue creature still and lifeless on its back. Her blood ran cold through her veins as she approached the soldier. "Excuse me..." she breathed, "W-where did you get those beads?"

"Hm?" The soldier looked down at the beads. "Oh, this? Got it off one of the prisoners. He said they were Shinto so I figure they've got some sort of power," he answered proudly.

Thinking quickly, Kagome shook her head. "No, I'm afraid those are cursed." The soldier's face paled. "If you give it to me, I can purify and dispose of it immediately. Otherwise, you and your descendants may be cursed for eternity."

"Y-Yes, please!" he stammered, hurriedly pulling the necklace off and handing it to the priestess. "Thank you, Lady Kagome!"

Willing her hands to stop shaking, Kagome took the beads. The moment they fell into her palms, she could almost feel the lingering warmth of its previous owner. "The prisoner, where is he?"

The soldier frowned. "What? Why do you ask?"

"I have to purify him of the curse as well... otherwise yours will never be broken."

"There is a dungeon on the far side of the courtyard, next to the cookhouse. He is in the fifth cell," the soldier answered anxiously.

Bowing in thanks, Kagome glanced back inside and prayed Masao wouldn't see her leave. She slipped out while he was distracted, laughing with his comrades. The moment she was free, she ran down the halls and outside in the snow, racing across the courtyard with her robe flowing in her wake. Inuyasha was here. She didn't know how or why, but he was here and she had to find him before Masao did. The one thing she didn't understand was how he hadn’t been recognized as a demon. One glance up toward the sky reminded her—it was the new moon. Inuyasha was human. It was the only way the soldier was able to get the beads off of him. Kagome's relief only lasted for a moment because even if he was human, the moment he was recognized... that was the end.

Slowing down once she reached the opposite side of the courtyard, Kagome stepped onto the porch and pounded hurriedly on the heavy wooden doors. A guard opened it, eyes widening briefly when he saw who knocked. "Lady Kagome, what are you—"

"There is a prisoner in here I must tend to." Straightening her posture and keeping her gaze steady, she looked up at him using the same cold expression with which she regarded the soldiers in her village. "Let me inside."

The guard quickly stepped out of the way, holding the door open for her. "Yes, of course. I will accompany you."

"That isn't necessary. Please stay here. If... if anyone interferes, a curse will spread throughout the whole castle."

Thankfully, she did not meet any resistance at that. The guard showed her to the cells, and went back to his post, leaving her facing the dark hallway alone. Kagome took a deep breath, hesitantly stepping inside. "Inuyasha?" She whispered to the rows of cells packed with sleeping or disinterested prisoners. A little louder this time, "Inuyasha?"

The sound of chains rattling at the end of the hall, from a secluded claustrophobic cell, broke the silence. "Kagome!"

Sprinting toward the cell the moment she heard her name, Kagome crashed to her knees. Inuyasha gripped at the bars with chains dangling from his wrists. _"What are you doing here?!"_ They hissed in unison, the silent beat after lasting only a second before Kagome was frantically pushing her arms through the gaps to hold him.

"Y-You're hurt!" she cried at the sight of his bruised and bloody face.

Inuyasha quickly hushed her. "It's okay, just keep your voice down. I'm alright; it'll heal in the morning." Reaching through the bars, he tenderly combed his fingers back through her bangs, letting the hair fall back onto her forehead as he slipped his hand down to cup her face. "I thought you were with Sango and Miroku."

Kagome leaned into the touch, holding his palm against her cheek. "Masao wouldn't let me go; he made me come here with him instead." she choked, "Inuyasha you have to get out of here before you change back."

"Really? Hadn't thought of that," Inuyasha smirked, longing to bring any spark of light and life back into her eyes.

Kagome didn't think it was funny at all, but that didn't stop her expression from softening or her lips twitching upwards as she shook her head. "How did you end up here in the first place?"

He sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. I was in the area with Shippo, and when the fighting started, I found Miroku and he told me that this was Masao's castle. So I made Shippo go with him and I let myself get captured."

"But they're...” Any colour left drained from her skin as realization dawned on her, “W-we're close to Mushin's temple, aren't we?"

"Yes, but they're okay.”

Kagome nearly crumbled in relief. She never would have forgiven herself if something had happened to them while she was safe with the enemy. "What were you thinking, letting yourself get captured?"

Inuyasha ducked his head. "Well... I thought I'd be able to get some information."

"And how has that been working for you?"

"Not my best plan."

Kagome glared at him, knowing they likely didn't have time for her to lecture him about how dangerous and stupid his "plan" was. "Listen, I heard Masao's plans and he's going after the wolf demon tribes next. You have to warn Koga."

Hearing that and the desperate tone in her voice, Inuyasha didn't bother with his usual whining about the wolf. Instead, he nodded in grave understanding. "Okay."

"Lady Kagome? Is everything alright in there?" the guard called from the door.

Kagome flinched back from the intruding sound, calling over her shoulder. “Yes!”

"Lord Masao is looking for you."

Feeling Inuyasha's hold on her tighten, she gave his hand a squeeze. "Tell him I'll be going to bed once I'm done here. I'm feeling ill."

"Kagome, you have to go," Inuyasha whispered despite his grip.

Turning back to him, Kagome's eyes caught the light of the torches outside. The fire reflected the white off of the snow and shone like moonlight. A tear spilled down her cheek and collided with his hand. "I can't just leave you in here."

"I'll be fine," he insisted. "The moment my powers return I'll break out of here; no one will see me. You _have_ to leave though, before Masao finds you in here."

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut and chewed at her bottom lip, internal struggle playing out on her face until Inuyasha's thumb pushed her lip free from her teeth. Opening her eyes again, Kagome looked back at him and nodded. "Wait." She sighed as she reached into the fold of her kimono and pulled out his beaded necklace. Sitting in her hand, she stared down at them, suddenly unable to put the necklace back on him. It wasn't until Inuyasha reached through the bars and took it back himself and slipped it over his head freely, that Kagome realized just how much the beads meant to him. "Come back to the village in two weeks, just to give it time. I'll be there."

“I will... and Kagome?”

“Yes?”

He paused, entranced by the false moonlight in her eyes. “Please, don't forget yourself.”

“What?” Kagome frowned.

Inuyasha gently guided her head to the bars, close enough so that he could press his lips to her forehead. "Nothing. Forget it.” He just couldn't bear seeing her as he did earlier, a phantom of who she used had been in another, miserable life. It killed him knowing that her soul was trapped again, forced into another situation where she had to make herself cold to survive. “I love _you_ ," he murmured against her skin.

Choking back a sob, Kagome tilted her head up and caught Inuyasha's lips through the bars. They pulled each other as close as physically possible with the cell door between them, desperately clinging to whatever their hands could grasp. A scuffling of metal at the door to the cells finally broke them apart. "I love you too." Voice cracking as she pulled back and wiped her face with her sleeve, Kagome tore herself away and ran back toward the door, knowing that if she stopped, she wouldn't be able to leave.

Inuyasha watched her go, his hand outstretched through the bars long after she disappeared. He slowly let it fall and crawled back to the corner by the window. Closing his eyes, he waited for morning. When it finally came, the soldiers found nothing but an empty cell, broken chains, and iron bars slashed to pieces. The sun rose over the mountains, swallowed by grey clouds.


	21. Chapter 21

"You are leaving?"

Masao brimmed with thinly veiled annoyance, but he didn't become harsh with her. Kagome kept her hands on the floor and her forehead touching her wrists as she bowed in front of him. It was early in the morning and even in the tea room for breakfast, she could smell the aftermath of fires in the village below burning her nostrils. The air felt unclean. As much as Kagome would have loved to just leave on her own, she knew that such actions would only bring Masao's wrath, and after what she saw the night before, she had no intentions of doing so. Kagome had to handle this diplomatically: by lying.

"Yes," she answered. "I had a bad premonition last night, about the village needing my aid. I believe one of the young women may be ill." The lie was well rehearsed and she prayed it looked that way.

Although he didn't seem happy with the situation, Masao sighed and brought his tea to his lips. "I suppose it can't be helped, in that case," he said as he tipped the cup back. "You know, I seem to recall that your predecessor was known for having premonitions. Perhaps you have the same gift."

Kagome paused, her chest tightening. Staring at the strands of her hair that overlapped chipped fingernails on the tatami, her mouth dried. "Her reputation must have been beyond what I realized..." Kagome began as she slowly sat upright. "You see, I only learned about her gift recently."

Masao paused with the tea cup at his lips, a hesitation Kagome didn't miss. He slowly lowered it back down to the table. "I am surprised you did not notice the bird, Lady Kagome."

Kagome frowned and brought her lands into her lap. "I... pardon?"

"The bird," Masao repeated. Gesturing toward the corner of the room, he called her attention to the ornate little birdcage sitting against the wall. "The poor thing dropped dead last night. I had my men go out to catch a new one this morning. What do you think? A fine creature, isn't it?"

Kagome glanced between Masao and the bird cage because the sudden change in subject was jarring and suspicious. Still, she was in no position to point that out. Rising to her feet, Kagome crossed the room to peer between the thin bars of the cage. A depressed little bird of yellow, green, and grey feathers sat on a ledge, its head tucked under its wing. The bird shunned itself from the strange world it was thrust into and Kagome felt her heart break. "It is beautiful..."

Masao rose up to join her. "If only it would sing," he laughed as he rested a burning hand on her shoulder. Kagome tried not to flinch. "I seek beautiful things, Lady Kagome. I seek _pure_ things." He turned Kagome around to face him, smile acidic. "And more than that, I seek to make our world pure and beautiful. My methods may seem... harsh, but I act with the best of intentions. I truly am sorry that you were upset with what you saw last night, but look down at the village now!" With a forceful hand on her back, he guided her to the open door and the two looked down from the porch at the village. "Look at how clean it is!"

Covered in powdered snow, even from the summit of the mountain, Kagome could tell that not a single foot print disturbed the virgin snow. It was clean, but she knew what lay underneath: blood, soot, and gunpowder—the evidence of Masao's crime. It was all just a mask, a shroud cast over a gruesome and senseless massacre. Masao's hand was too hot on her shoulder. "Yes, I suppose it is," she agreed in a blank daze.

"And I made it this way," Masao boasted, his gaze sweeping over the valley.

Kagome's frown deepened. What did he mean? "It was the snow..."

Masao only smiled. With one hand touching her skin, he raised his other arm to the sky and closed his eyes. Within a single breath, the clouds opened up, and a blizzard dropped down on the mountains. Kagome watched in abject horror. Swirling drifts of snow blew in crazed swells through the valley, but not a flake disturbed the castle. Out of the corner of her eyes, Kagome could see the Godstone hanging from his neck glowing pale blue. Masao mistook her horror for amazement and chuckled under his breath. He closed his outstretched hand and the snow stopped. "Every day, with every success, my power grows stronger. I told you before, Lady Kagome, I hold power beyond your wildest dreams."

Kagome only tore her eyes away from the valley after the remaining snow settled. This was her chance. "How... how exactly does that work?"

Masao brushed her off. "I won't bore you with all of that." Finally letting go of her shoulder, Masao returned to the tea table and stooped down to finish his cup. "I am sorry to see you leave so soon, but I supposed it cannot be helped. I will see that a caravan is arranged to bring you home. I'm afraid I cannot see you off. With the campaign growing, I've become a busy man," he laughed. Setting his tea cup back on the tray, he faced Kagome again and bowed, mirth and endearment in his eyes. "Until we meet again, Lady Kagome."

Kagome bowed and did not straighten until Masao had walked passed and out of the room, the wind in his wake a vacuum of breath, leaving the room airless. Alone in the room, Kagome was struck by the stark quiet his laughter left behind. It was all just laughter, and pride, and boasting while she remained silent and still. All of it, just a grand success to him alone.

A fluttering across the room caught her attention. Kagome approached the cage. The little bird inside, eased by Masao's disappearance, shook itself awake and stretched its wings. Even that little action seemed to take up half the cage. Hopping from ledge to ledge, it looked up at her, blinked, and tilted its head from side to side. Finally, its restless movements in the claustrophobic cage snapped something within her. Without leaving a moment for hesitation, Kagome opened the iron door and cupped her hands around the bird. She carried it out onto the porch, their eyes making soulful contact before she released it. The bird took to the air, singing its heart out as it flew to freedom. Kagome watched it disappear into the translucent winter light and felt more free than she had in months.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Mushin and Miroku took turns holding up their barriers until dawn shone through the overcast sky. Approaching footsteps pierced the silence of the morning. Miroku was the first to notice, the only one awake in the cave. As the sound grew louder, he tensed and the barrier's glow intensified. The action stirred Shippo from his uneasy sleep beside the Monk. Rubbing fists over his eyes, he pushed himself up and swept his tired gaze across the cave. It was only when he saw Miroku's intense eyes fixated outside that he realized what was happening. He was jolted from sleep immediately.

"Who's there?" the kitsune called out as he rose to his feet, chest puffed out in a show of forced bravery.

"Quiet, Shippo. We don't want them to find us," Miroku scolded him.

Roused by the frantic and hushed voices, Sango forced herself awake and slowly sat up so as not to wake the children. "What's going on?" she asked, carefully placing Mamoru down between his sisters.

"Relax, it's just me," the approaching voice called out from the bushes. Inuyasha pushed his way out of the forest and into the little clearing before the cave. Miroku jumped up, the barrier dropping so the silver-haired hanyou could enter. He was looking more than a little worse for wear, but the bruises and gashes littering his skin looked weeks old and he knew they hadn't been there the night before. The moment Inuyasha walked inside, his gaze flickered toward Sango before snapping back to the Monk. "I thought Kagome was with you, last night," he huffed, arms crossed over his chest.

Miroku rubbed the back of his neck and tried hard not to look frustrated. The last thing he wanted to do was argue with his best friend when he hadn't seen him in months. "I tried to tell you. You ran off before I could think," he glanced down at his sleeping daughters. "Understandably, I was a little distracted."

Inuyasha sighed, his arms dropping back to his sides. "Forget it. It worked out fine, anyway. Kagome found me in the prison." He shivered at the memory of seeing her outside his cell window. That image would haunt him for years. "They're going after the Wolf Demon Tribe, so that's where I'm headed next."

Sango caught the hesitation in his voice. "What will you do?"

"Warn them, I guess. Keep their asses from getting wiped out," Inuyasha answered.

"I meant long term," she corrected.

Inuyasha huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. The cave was painfully quiet aside from gentle, even breathing from the sleeping children. Finally, he dropped his arms, and along with them, his guard. "I don't know, Sango,” he confessed. “We're stuck. I could try to attack Masao head on, but where would that leave us? I fucking hate it, but as long as he has that damn crystal, I'm useless. And the bastard has half an empire. Even if I somehow manage to kill him, Kagome and I will have nowhere to go. Then if I fail... he'll go after her. I can't risk that," he admitted in growing frustration.

Inuyasha had never really been one to unload his problems like that, but Miroku supposed it had been so long since he had anyone there to listen. Of course, Shippo was there, but aside from being a child, he was trapped in this immobile situation as well. "It seems to me," Miroku began, "that this isn't a problem with a singular solution."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Really? That's all you've got for me, Monk?"

"You didn't let me finish," Miroku raised a hand to silence him, a gesture Inuyasha did not appreciate. "What I meant to say was that you can't look at this as one enormous foe. You have to think of the smaller problems that make up the bigger one. Deal with each one separately until they connect to the central issue."

Inuyasha's gaze flickered down to Sango again as Miroku spoke, though his ears twitched as he listened. "Maybe..." he trailed off. Outside, the dim sunrise was growing brighter. "We'd better head out before it gets too light."

Shippo groaned. "Do we have to?"

"Don't argue," Inuyasha countered. Though he didn't seem at all pleased, the young kitsune nodded and dragged himself off to where the kids were sleeping; probably to say goodbye while they were still out. In all honesty, Inuyasha didn't want to leave, either. It was painful leaving his friends behind now more than ever, but staying was unspeakably risky. He wasn't going to put them in danger.

One nod from Miroku told him they understood. "Well," the monk reached his hand out to clap InuYasha's shoulder, "stay safe, my friend."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and shrugged his hand off, only returning Miroku's gesture by cuffing him on the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah. You, too."

Unfazed by the hanyou's typical roughness, Sango laughed and pulled him into a strong hug. "Come back soon."

A little more gentle with Sango, Inuyasha wrapped his arm around her shoulder and took the opportunity to whisper in her ear. "Do you know you're pregnant?" He could smell the change in her hormones the moment the barrier around the cave dropped.

Sango smiled and pulled back. "Yes, we know. You're a little late this time around." It was a bittersweet confession, reminding her of every other time he'd been the one to tell her, but at the same time it was comforting. One little thing that hadn't changed.

"Well, I've been busy," Inuyasha fired back with a grin. He was happy that the two of them were still living on. If anyone in the world deserved this, it was them.

While the three of them were speaking, Shippo came back with Inuyasha's robe and tessaiga. The hanyou reached down to take the red cloth first, shrugging it over his shoulders and going through the motions of tying the ropes and stuffing the edges back into his hakama. He shifted under the familiar weight, and instantly stood straighter. "Tell Kagome I made it out alright."

Sango nodded and stepped back into Miroku's open arm. "We will."

Inuyasha paused a moment, almost trying to think of something else to say. Finally, he grabbed Shippo by his kimono's collar and leapt from the cave, out of sight. It would have been harder to leave if he dragged things on, he reasoned with himself. It was better just to get it over with. Besides, it wasn't like this would be the last time he would ever see them. He only hesitated a second at that thought. Bounding up the mountain, Inuyasha's mind honed in on the directions and paths they needed to take to get north as Shippo's complaints went completely ignored.

They made it to a high ridge on the mountain face before the blizzard hit. In an instant, snow poured down from the sky in a blinding torrent and Inuyasha skidded to a stop, letting Shippo scramble down to take shelter under his sleeve. Inuyasha raised his other arm to shield his face from the pin-needle snow slamming against his skin. The wind tore through the bare trees, and just as fast as it came, it stilled. The remaining snow in the air seemed to freeze for a moment before drifting to the ground. Inuyasha lowered his arm as Shippo stepped out from behind him.

"What was that?" the boy asked.

Inuyasha frowned, shaking the snow off his head and shoulders. "I don't know," he confessed. The bizarre change in weather had him shaken, but not nearly as much as the spectacle over Masao's castle. He had to blink and rub at his eyes to make sure the swirling yoki he saw looming over the fortress was real. The vortex glowed the same blue as the Godstone did, growing brighter toward the centre. It was so bright that the light became a void at the axis, drawing in the power swirling around it. The Tessaiga pulsed at his side, but in the time Inuyasha looked down at the blade and back up across the valley, the yoki—its axis and power—was gone without a trace.

"Inuyasha?" Shippo called up to him. "What are you staring at?"

Inuyasha squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, willing the vision to return. "Nothing. Let's go."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It took another day to get back to the village. Kagome's escort caravan left shortly after she spoke with Masao. This time around, she didn't complain about staying inside the little carriage and huddled under the plush blankets. It was too cold outside to walk and she'd left the winter robes she had been given at the castle. The only thing she'd brought with her was Kaede's quilt, and she kept that tucked away where no preying eyes could find it.

However, unlike the the trip to Seichi, Kagome couldn't sleep. Wide awake, she sat in the carriage for hours, watching the silhouettes of passing trees and soldiers move across the curtains. Memories of the attack on the village and finding Inuyasha in the castle prison replayed over and over in her mind every time she closed her eyes. Like the first time she'd seen Masao and his men massacre the two opposing armies, sleep wasn't an option. It probably wouldn't be for a while. She accepted that. Wrapping her arms around her knees, Kagome chanced a peek through the curtains. It seemed like the entire country was covered in snow, blinded with white light. By the time the sun began to set, all that was left was an overcast greyness as far as she could see.

"Looks like we're being chased by another snow storm," one of the soldiers commented, catching her attention. Kagome glanced behind their trail to see the dark haze of a blizzard just beyond the mountains.

"As long as it doesn't hit until we get back up to the Fort," another retorted. "Lady Kagome, you should—"

"Stay inside, I know," Kagome interrupted impatiently. She knew the soldiers were only doing their job protecting her, but what little patience she had left had run dry. Shutting the curtain again, she huffed hot breath on her hands and rubbed them together. So absorbed in the task of keeping warm, she hardly noticed the blue apparition slithering into her carriage until it swirled in front of her. Kagome jumped out of her skin, swallowing a scream as the long, glowing body of a shinidamachū glided through the compartment. A quiet trill echoed in its wake as it disappeared. Kagome watched it leave then threw the curtains open again only to find nothing there. Before any soldier could react, she had jumped out of the carriage and stumbled out into the snow.

"Lady—"

Kagome instantly hushed the well-meaning soldier, holding a finger to her lips as she searched for the creature. Not a trace of it was left behind, but it left her out in the cold, staring down at the silhouette of her village rising up out of the grey sea. Ahead of them the path split, one leading down to the forest and the other up to the mountain and the fort. After calming down from her initial startle, she turned to the soldiers with a calm firmness. "I can walk the rest of the way from here. I wouldn't want to bother you having to walk down to the village and then back up to the mountain."

The soldiers exchanged uncertain looks. "Our duty is to see to it that you return home safely."

Kagome offered a dim smile, already moving back to the carriage to get her things. "And you've done it. I'm home safe and sound."

"But—"

"Thank you for your escort." She gave them a quick bow, which they were quick to return. While they were still bent low, she stood up and began walking down the fork in the path. By the time the soldiers realized what had happened, she was already over the hill.

The moment they were out of sight, Kagome slipped her hand into the inner folds of her kimono, underneath her thick hanten, to make sure Kaede's quilt was still there. She had no idea what would happen when Masao realized if it was missing, or if he would ever notice or care, but she had no desire to find out. Quickly adjusting her robes into place, the quilt warm and secure against her body, she descended down the path and towards the endless forest.

All of the trees were completely bare at that point, dead and naked in the snow. The season was still young, and it hadn't been this cold long enough for ice to drip from the branches, but her breath still fogged and tumbled from her lips. Colder days were coming. Wind blew between the trees, a low hum resounding in the distance. It wasn't until the shinidamachū appeared ahead of her again that Kagome listened closely enough to realize that it wasn't the wind she was hearing, but singing. The blue creature cast an eerie glow onto the snow, weaving between bare trees in absolute still and quiet. Kagome had done this before, she knew what she would find at the end of this pass. She didn't hesitate a step before following the creature.

It was always a new path, Kagome noticed. She always came in from a different direction, but without fail ended up in the same spot. Goshinboku's branches still held their vibrant red hue, not a single leaf touching the snow. The stark contrast of the bleak forest and the lively tree drew a sharp breath from Kagome's lips; but even more so, the spirit sitting under the tree. An elderly Kaede, just the way Kagome remembered her, sat on the roots and leaned back against the trunk, singing and staring up at the red canopy. As Kagome entered the clearing, her weathered gaze dropped to her. "Kikyo," Kaede smiled. "I hoped you might visit."

Kagome felt her heart plummet. "I—I... no, no. Kaede, it's _me_. It's Kagome."

Kaede laughed, rumbling and warm in her chest. "Don't you think I can recognize my own sister? I'd recognize that cold gaze anywhere. You always look so sad, even when you were alive."

Kagome flinched. It wasn't the fact that the spirit was responding to her that sprung tears into her eyes, it was the sudden realization that Kaede was right. "Yes, well I... I suppose I am sad," she answered.

Kaede sighed and rested her hands in her lap, eyes drifting up to the tree. "I wish you to find peace, Sister. It pains me so greatly to see you despondent, but you will never find peace like this. You must let go."

"Let go of what?" Kagome found herself asking, entranced by the blue glow of the shinidamachū dancing in the red reflection of the leaves.

"Your fears," the elderly woman answered. "I know you believe that you must suppress your emotions to survive, but this is not what keeps you alive. You are afraid of what will happen if you do what you know is right, Sister. Let go, accept help, and accept love. It is not easy, but it is right."

Kagome licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. "I am afraid... I'm so afraid, Kaede. I can't let anyone down." The words flowing off her tongue didn't seem to be solely her own anymore.

"You have been burdened with so much, Kikyo... like a caged bird," Kaede sighed. "Ever since we were little girls. Do you remember that, Sister? When we were young and unburdened? Kagome reminds me so much of how you used to be." The spirit closed her eyes, losing herself to memory. Her image flickered from that of an old woman to the little girl Kagome once saw playing with Rin, then back again.

"Kagome is naïve," Kagome snapped. Glaring down at her feet, she watched the hem of her red hakama float over the snow. "She doesn't use her head, she doesn't see a problem until it's too late."

Kaede shook her head. "She is not naïve, Kikyo. She is unguarded. She allows herself to _feel_. Emotions are not your enemy."

"Emotions could get me and everyone I love killed," the young priestess whispered. "One slip is all it takes."

"That is true," Kaede replied with a wise smile, "But emotions are also the things that make life worth living. What is the point in trying to survive when there is nothing to look forward to? To celebrate? To hold dear?"

Kagome looked up at her again. The two of them seemed to be humming, their souls vibrating on a plane she'd never touched before. Around them, the forest stilled as if it were frozen in time, the crimson leaves of Goshinboku casting a soft red glow on the snow. "Then how do I fix this?” Kagome asked. “I... I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

The elderly priestess closed her eyes, thinking over her answer. "Sister... you and Kagome are very different people, but deep down, your soul is _one_. You two spend so much time desperately trying to prove how separate you are that I think you ignore how much you are the same." Kaede finally looked her in the eyes, a vibrancy and foreknowledge Kagome had never seen in the woman's life shining through. "You could learn a lot from each other." Kagome held her breath as she continued. "Kikyo, the mistakes you've made and the lessons you've learned in this life are what Kagome will live by in hers. She is your future and you are her past. Trust her. _She_ is the older soul. Somehow, I do not think Kagome would want to repeat her past, do you?"

Kagome's eyes widened. She wondered for a moment if Kaede knew it was her after all. "No... no I don't think she would."

Kaede pushed herself to her feet with a grace that didn't suggest her old age. "Neither do I."

The shinidamachū flew in front of her, its light blinding her vision, and by the time Kagome could see again, the apparition was gone. Whatever trance she'd been pulled into lifted like a haze from her mind and left her clear. It was too much to absorb so quickly, but somehow she understood. Turning away from the clearing, Kagome walked toward the village on her familiar path. 

It was nightfall by the time she walked out of the forest and across the rice paddies. The villagers seemed overjoyed that she had returned, asking about her trip and stories of how amazing Lord Masao's castle was. All she managed was a smile and a promise to tell them tomorrow with the excuse that she needed to rest. With her red-rimmed eyes, it wasn't hard to believe, and they respectfully gave her space.

Ahead on the path, her hut glowed from within: a burning fire and lively conversation filling the winter silence. Choking back tears, Kagome ran inside and threw back the hanging mat. Miroku and Sango sat with their children, chatting with Rin as Takuya stirred their meal in the pot. Jun and Kei were laying wrapped around each other next to the fire. All conversation halted the moment Kagome entered, watching as she sunk down to her knees in the doorway. Everyone was safe, alive, warm, and bathed in the same red light of the sacred tree.

Kagome began to laugh in relief before anyone could ask her why she was crying.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'm freezing! Can't we stop for a while?"

"Come on, let's keep going. It's not even that cold."

Shippo groaned, his teeth chattering. "We're in the middle of a damn blizzard!" He could hardly see through the blinding snow whipping his face. Every flake was a needle on his cheek.

Inuyasha glared back at the boy over his shoulder. "What the _fuck_ did I tell you about swearing?" he snapped, rolling his eyes when Shippo froze in his spot, shrinking back in fear. Inuyasha knew the kid was tired of traveling in the snow, but it couldn't be avoided. He'd been looking over his shoulder since they left Masao's castle, waiting for his soldiers to catch up with them. They had to get to Koga before the soldiers did, or the Wolf demons would be massacred... again. Their numbers were already low. Inuyasha would never be able to sleep if he let them get wiped out. The image of the swirling vortex above the castle resurfaced. He shook his head. "We're almost there. I can smell the stench of their den from here."

"That's what you said _yesterday_!" the kitsune whined. A strong gust of wind nearly knocked him off his feet. Scrambling to right himself again, he decided that enough was enough. Shippo leapt up into the air, and in a puff of smoke, dropped down into Inuyasha's unwilling arms in his smaller form. Ignoring the hanyou's protests, he crawled into the fold of his haori. "If you want to keep going, be my guest! I'm stayin' in here where it's warm!"

"Get out, runt!" Inuyasha shouted, hand poised to pull the little bastard out; however, with one twitch of his ear, his hand diverted down to his sword, unsheathing it in a flash of light just in time to defend against a slash of golden claws. Inuyasha threw his adversary back, holding no restrain as he leapt after him with his sword high. The attacker moved in a blur and while it was not nearly as fast as he knew it once was, it was still enough to warrant caution. Before Inuyasha could land, a well aimed kick caught him on the jaw and threw him back. The hanyou flipped backwards and skidded to a stop in the snow. Reaching into his haori, he tossed Shippo aside.

Finally, he had the chance to let off some steam.

The blur dashed toward him, but Inuyasha was prepared this time. With a confident smirk, he ducked under another roundhouse kick and swung his sword in an upward arc. The blur jumped out of the way, but was unable to defend himself against Inuyasha swatting him out of the air with the blunt side of the blade. The moment it landed, he unleashed a Wind Scar, cutting banks through the snow and scouring claw-like marks into the side of the mountain. Inuyasha grinned in victory, waiting to see his opponent through the settling debris, only to feel a fist cuff him upside the head from behind.

"What, are you trying to kill me, Mutt?!"

Growling under his breath, Inuyasha turned around and came face to face with the Leader of the Wolf Demons. "Wasn't that the point?"

Koga snarled. "Do you want a _real_ fight? Because I can sure as hell give you one!"

"Good! I was just warming up."

The two young men snarled in each others' faces, foreheads butting together. In any second, it seemed like they could break out into a bloodthirsty battle, but as if he missed a beat, Koga was the one that stood straight. He looked around them in confusion. "Hang on... where’s Kagome?” It was usually at this point that the woman would be breaking them up.

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes and sheathed the tessaiga. "That's actually why I'm here."


	22. Chapter 22

Winter began in the northern mountains long before it did in the east. Ice clung to every tree branch and rocky ledge, catching the distant echoes of the forest's creaking. Shippo clung tightly to Inuyasha's side as the two entered the Wolf Den, shivering at every hungry leer from wolf or demon. Little guys like Shippo were appetizers for them and he didn't forget it. Inuyasha stared ahead confidently as he followed, seemingly ignorant to the boy's fear; however, any time a set of eyes so much as twitched in the kitsune child's direction, one fierce glare from the hanyou would send them inching back. The demons were teasing, but the wolves were hungry. Winter, apparently, had started early up here.

Walking through the mouth of the cave, Koga led the two travellers to a spacious alcove in the back of the cavern, filled with furs, swords that had never been used, and a wide array of spoils. The wolf prince dropped himself down on a bed of pelts, leisurely kicking back. "So, what brings you up to my territory, Shit Breath? Never exactly thought you'd come by to visit."

Without a word, Inuyasha reached into his haori and let the Godstone drop onto the fur. Koga instantly recoiled. Inuyasha wasn't surprised. "Ever seen it?"

Glancing warily between Inuyasha and the crystal on his pelts, Koga reached down and picked it up between his forefinger and thumb. Once he determined that he wouldn't keel over the moment he touched it, he tossed the stone into the air then caught it. "Yeah, I've seen it," the wolf confirmed, "And it's a major pain in the ass. I've lost good men to this thing and it's knocked me down a fair few times. Never for long though. What the hell is it?"

"It's called a Godstone," Inuyasha grunted out as Koga tossed the crystal back. "The only thing I really know about it is that there are hundreds of them being used by a new Warlord, Takeda Masao. I've even seen bandits with the thing. It's like it sucks the life out of you and purifies you from the inside out. So yeah, major pain in the ass."

Flexing the hand that had been holding the stone, Koga sat up and finally gestured for Inuyasha and Shippo to sit down. The kitsune was more than eager to warm up with all of the furs, but Inuyasha remained on his feet. Koga shrugged. "So, what's the big deal? I mean, it's powerful and I'd love nothing more than to strangle this Masao guy, but it's just a rock."

"Do you really think I'd drag my ass across half of the country to see you if it was that simple?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Masao is taking over the entire country. He's using human weapons like we've never seen. He's building his army with every territory he takes, and with this fucking _rock_ , he's trying to wipe demons off the face of the earth."

Koga cracked a grin. "What? Are you actually asking me for help?"

"That's rich," Inuyasha scoffed. "I'm here to warn you: Masao is targeting the Wolf Demon Tribe next, since he wants to gain control of the North."

The wolf prince's eyes narrowed. "How do you know all this?"

Inuyasha's jaw clenched; the last person in the world he wanted to admit this to was Koga, but he had to give Kouga the whole story if he was to earn his cooperation. "The old priestess Kaede is dead. Kagome's taken over the care of her village, and now Masao has his men swarming the place. Kagome had to fake my death just to keep them from destroying the both of us, along with the Sacred Tree that brought connects her to her own world. Masao trusts her, so she got the information."

A long beat of silence pulsed through the frigid air. Shippo slowly inched back from the two of them, alarmed by the furious heat rolling off Koga's body. The wolf demon's blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "Wait... are you telling me that _Kagome_ is back there with this guy?" Inuyasha nodded, igniting Koga's explosion. He jumped to his feet, shouting in the hanyou's face. "Are you out of your mind, Inuyasha?! What the fuck were you thinking, leaving Kagome with a madman?! You left her in danger and ran away just to save your own ass?!"

Inuyasha understood Koga's anger (hell he was still angry with himself), but he was far from tolerating it. "You think I fucking _wanted_ to?!" he roared back. "If she betrays that bastard, he’ll destroy her connection to this world and she'll never have come here! Kagome’s stuck! Do you think it’s _easy_ for me to do jack shit while she’s in danger?! I risk everything every time I just get near the village! You shut your _goddamn_ mouth about Kagome!"

When the final echoes of Inuyasha's voice faded, Koga's snarling simmered down into a scowl. The pain and guilt were clear in Inuyasha's glare, no matter how hard he tried to mask it with fury. Koga'd never say it out loud, but he knew how powerful Inuyasha was. If he couldn't take Takeda Masao out on his own then this was a bigger threat than the wolf prince was taking it for. "Alright, fine. Count me in," Koga huffed. "If this guy is looking to pick a fight, we’ll be ready."

"Good," Inuyasha grunted.

Giving the hanyou a curt nod, Koga moved passed him to strut into the main cave. "Hakkaku! Ginta!" he barked. The two henchmen came running, skidding to a stop in front of their leader. "Send out a message to the other dens: We're gathering. Any other demons that want to ally themselves with us have to come to me."

Expression darkening, Inuyasha pushed his way in front of Koga. "Just what the hell are you planning?"

Koga pushed back, walking through him and toward the entrance of the cave. "I told you. If this chucklefuck wants a fight, he's getting one. This is War."

Lashing out, Inuyasha grabbed Koga by the shoulder and spun him around. "I came here to warn you! Not to start a damn War!"

"Have you got a better idea?!" Koga argued, shoving the hanyou off of him. "You said it yourself! That Masao guy'll hunt us all to extinction if he has his way! If he's raising an army, so are we. The humans are only getting what’s coming to them.

Inuyasha snarled. "This isn't a war against humans."

"It's _always_ been a war against humans. I guess you wouldn't understand that, _hanyou_ ," Koga grunted as he turned his back on Inuyasha once again. He disappeared into the onlooking crowd of Wolf Demons before Inuyasha could follow.

Shippo had remained frozen on the bed of pelts during the entirety of the argument, afraid of receiving the butt end of Inuyasha and Koga's high tempers, but as soon as Koga was gone he knew he was in the clear. "Inuyasha?" Shippo called out, approaching the hanyou and tugging on his sleeve. "I don't think Koga will ever attack innocent humans - I mean not anymore, but... maybe he's right. Maybe we need help."

Inuyasha pulled his robe out of the boy's grasp. "An army isn't going to mean shit as long as Masao's men have the Godstone. All Koga's going to do is get himself and anyone who follows him slaughtered," he growled. He regretted his harsh tone the instant Shippo flinched.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Despite their disagreements, Koga and Inuyasha remained civil during the following days. Inuyasha still strongly opposed the idea of starting a war against Masao's growing empire, but every time he brought it up, the wolf prince would huff and brush him off. Both young men were too stubborn to be swayed. Opinions aside, Inuyasha and Shippo were welcome to stay for the time being. The winter was getting too cold for the kitsune to travel, and while Inuyasha didn't mind the cold that much, he wasn't going to force the kid out onto the road again. So long as no one tried to eat him, Shippo was more than happy to stay in the wolf den.

However, that didn't mean he liked it when Inuyasha left him to fend for himself in the enormous cave. Shippo was quick to make friends, as he always was, but he couldn't spend all this time with them. If he didn't keep an eye on Inuyasha, who would? Stumbling around through the cave that night, he wandered away from the flickering light of the fires and toward the mouth of the cave. It shouldn't have surprised him to find Inuyasha perched high up in an alcove just outside the entrance.

Back against the cold stone, Inuyasha draped one arm over his knee and turned his head toward the mountains. Forests of frosted pines rolled up to the edge of the mountains, bringing their crisp scent on every twilight breeze. The moon rose through the branches, casting the world in its glow. Even the icicles dripping from the edge of his perch caught the light. Inuyasha closed his eyes, picturing the exact expression on Kagome would have had on her face if she had been here; the beauty would steal her breath. Her lips would part in an enchanting smile and her eyes would reflect the silver moonlight, but her gaze would feel warm. That image faded into the cold and broken eyes he witnessed in Masao's courtyard. Inuyasha opened his eyes to rid himself of the haunting memory. It was still enough to stop him cold.

A flicker of copper hair and two thick tails from the corner of his eyes brought him out of his reverie. Shippo hesitantly climbed up into the alcove, a flame of blue fire dancing in his palm. The icicles reflected its hue. "Inuyasha?" he whispered. Inuyasha only hummed in response. "What are you doing up here?"

"Thinking," Inuyasha answered, looking back out at the scenic view.

"About Kagome?"

"Mhm... she would like it here." He took in a long breath as the cool, black pine wind blew over his face.

Shippo sat cross-legged in what little space was left. "Do you think about her a lot?"

Inuyasha nodded.

"You miss her," the boy pointed out.

"So what if I do?"

"I miss her, too. I think I miss her even more than I did when she was in her world. At least then I thought she was happy. I didn't think I'd ever see her again unless I lived long enough, but then I'd be old and it wouldn't be the same. But I didn't miss her so bad because she was out of reach, you know? I don't think Kagome's happy right now and I can't fix it so I miss her more." Shippo replied.

"Sounds about right to me." In spite of their bickering, Inuyasha found it fairly easy to talk to Shippo like this. He looked down at the boy and shifted to give him a little more room. "The distance is worse than anything." A comfortable silence drifted between them, cut only by the whistling wind.

"Hey, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou grunted again.

"I wish Kaede was still here."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. She always knew what feelings like those are called. Kaede would know for sure... but I think it might be called 'homesickness'."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Inuyasha had been waiting on the outskirts of the hills, listening for the drums of the soldiers returning to their fortress for a few hours by then. If he and Kagome were going to spend the night together in the dead of winter, he needed to find somewhere for them to take shelter. He needed to be able to start a fire to light his lantern anyway so after finding the perfect spot (and he meant perfect—Kagome was going to lose her mind,) he made his way to the Sacred Tree.

Inuyasha lit the slow-burning match at the base of the lantern and straightened up. The sun had only set minutes ago, but night's darkness eagerly swallowed any remnants of its light.. Now he knew why Kagome picked this night. Exactly two weeks after Bodhi: the Winter Solstice. If they were going to meet in secret, they might as well do it on the longest night of the year. The lantern slipped from his hands and hovered a few feet off the ground for a moment, bathing the clearing in a warm crimson light. The Sacred Tree reflected that light, it shone on every frosted, red leaf. Inuyasha watched the lantern fly away until it was just a floating speck of light amoung the stars. Now came the nerve-wracking part—waiting. 

Needless to say, Inuyasha was always less than calm while waiting for Kagome to see the lantern and sneak into the forest. Before, he'd only ever had to worry about her getting caught by a nosy villager or soldier. Now he had to worry about that _and_ her catching her death because of the cold. Pacing circles in the snow, Inuyasha's ears twitched wildly in every direction. Anything that sounded remotely like a footstep stopped him in his tracks. Soon enough, the hanyou had to refuse the urge to strangle every all living and moving things in the forest. They made so much damn noise.

When he finally heard Kagome approaching, a heavy snowfall had started. He restrained himself from running too close the distance in between them. "What took you so long?" Inuyasha sent her a teasing grin as she stumbled into the clearing. That grin quickly dropped when he saw that she was unaccompanied. "Why the hell wouldn't you bring Jun and Kei with you?" he scolded, quickly rushing forward to adjust the thick blanket she had draped over her shoulders. "No wonder it took you so damn long, you probably can't see a thing in the forest!"

Kagome groaned, but didn't protest to his fretting over her. "I wanted to leave them with Rin, so she wasn't alone. Besides, they were all snuggled up! I didn't have the heart to wake them," she pouted.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "And now you're frozen to the bone."

"You know, getting a lecture was not what I walked through the forest, at _night_ , in the _winter_ for," Kagome argued.

"You know I'm right," he pointed out, brushing the snowflakes from the top of her head. "Come on." Turning around, he knelt down and held his arms out behind him.

Kagome climbed onto his back, winding her arms around him and resting her chin on his shoulder. "We're not staying here?"

Inuyasha turned his head to the side, flashing her an incredulous stare. "Yeah, we're going to stay here in the freezing cold all night. Maybe wait for a blizzard to bury us in snow. No, stupid. I've got a place."

"A place?" Kagome tilted her head as Inuyasha stood up. "What place?"

"You'll see." With one last grin, Inuyasha took off at impossible speeds. Kagome had to shield her face behind Inuyasha's neck to prevent the sting of the snowflakes from pelting against her skin; not that Inuyasha minded. Dodging between trees, he navigated toward the frigid river where he ran along the bend. He followed the river upstream until he finally slowed to a stop. A frozen waterfall formed an ice wall at the end of the river, the golden light of a fire flickered behind its glassy surface. Kagome slipped down from Inuyasha's back with an awestruck gaze. Taking a moment to admire her, Inuyasha led the way inside. "Careful, it's slippery."

Kagome followed him up to the waterfall, holding onto the rock ledges as she squeezed herself between the stone and the ice. Inuyasha went in ahead of her, keeping an arm around her waist in case she fell. When she finally made it inside, Kagome was immediately struck by an unexpected wave of heat. Kagome shivered, her clothes soaked from the melting snow. "I'm freezing!" she cried as she hurriedly pulled her clothes off.

Inuyasha watched her with a quirked brow from the mouth of the cave. "What are you doing?"

"My clothes are cold and wet, and if I wear them all night, I'll get sick," she shrugged, laying out her blanket (with the rest of her clothes) by the fire to dry. "You should change too."

Inuyasha scoffed but shed his haori anyway. "I won't get sick."

Kagome turned back to him in her white under kimono. "You're running around in the snow with bare feet!" she exclaimed.

"It's not _that_ cold," he huffed as he dropped his robe alongside her clothes by the fire. "But I guess you might as well take your clothes off anyway." Inuyasha shrugged, only to be rewarded with wet clothes thrown in his face. He sputtered and pushed them off. "That's not what I meant!" He protested. "Look over there, stupid."

Kagome frowned, but followed his pointing finger anyway. Further inside, under a hole in the ceiling, with dead moss crawling down the sides, from the riverbank above, steam rolled off a pool of crystal water. Kagome's face lit up as she whirled toward Inuyasha. "No way," she gasped. Inuyasha only smirked in response, prompting a squeal of excitement from the priestess. In an instant, Kagome was off running, hastily throwing off her kimono and undergarments as she lowered herself into the hot water. "This is perfect!" she sighed. Taking a deep breath, she plugged her nose and dipped her head under the water, smoothing back her hair as she came up. "The water feels incredible."

Trying his damn hardest not to laugh at her eagerness, Inuyasha opted to just toss his kimono off and pull up the bottom of his hakama to dip his feet in. If she was alright with being bare in front of him, he had no problem with it, but he'd wait for an invitation before joining her. "It's alright."

Kagome flicked the surface of the water at him. "Grouch."

"Oh no," Inuyasha raised his arm to shield himself from the droplets, "We're not getting into this again."

That brought a peel of laughter from Kagome. She continued to comb her fingers through her hair. As her laughter died down, she folded her arms across his knees, lips pulling up into a smile. "Hi, by the way."

Inuyasha leaned back against the cave wall. "Hey."

"So," she yawned as she stretched her arms up and sank down into the water. "Did you find Koga?"

Inuyasha braced his arms on either side of him. "Yeah. He was about as excited to see me as you can imagine. Shippo's up there with him while I'm here." He'd been more than a little apprehensive about leaving the kid, given what happened last time, but Koga had been warned of Masao's men encroaching on his territory. At the first sign of trouble, he'd make sure Shippo was protected. Inuyasha had made him swear to that before he left.

"Good," Kagome sighed. "At least that's one less thing to worry about."

Inuyasha picked up on the stress in her voice. "... Overwhelming, huh?"

"Yeah," she murmured. Leaning her head back, she let her hair dip further into the water as she looked up at the stars through the gap in the ceiling. "I don't even know where to begin." This one problem was coming at them from so many angles, with new and confusing elements thrown in at any opportunity. Kagome could hardly think straight.

"We could begin at the fact that this fucking _sucks_ ," Inuyasha offered.

"Well, you're not wrong." Kagome laughed dryly. She sat up straight again. "I guess... for starters, I don't think Masao is using the Godstone just to drain demonic power. He's stealing it." Inuyasha's ears perked up in attention as she continued. "The day I left, he showed me. He used the crystal to make a blizzard out of nowhere."

Inuyasha frowned. "I remember that blizzard, the one that came out of nowhere the morning after Bodhi..." he trailed off. "Right after it happened, I saw a demonic vortex swirling above the castle, but it was the same energy that comes from the Godstone."

"So, we know that's how he's getting power." Kagome nodded in thought. "It's like Daki, but stronger."

Inuyasha sat up straight, determination already firing in his eyes. "If I can hit him with the Tessaiga in its dragon scale form, I can kill him."

"As long as he has the crystal, your demonic power will be stolen and Tessaiga won't even transform," Kagome pointed out, shaking her head.

"So? I just have to figure out a way to cancel out the crystal's effects."

Kagome quirked a brow. "Do you really think it's that easy?"

Inuyasha deflated, running a hand back through his hair. "No," he huffed. "Koga seems to think it is, though. That idiot wolf's gathering an army because he thinks he can just march down his mountain and knock on Masao's castle door to brawl it out."

The priestess' eyes widened. "What?"

"He won't listen, and believe me, I've tried to beat it into him." Inuyasha looked down to catch her gaze. "The way Koga sees it, this is just another battle in some eternal bullshit war. _'Demons versus Humans.'_ The demons have the power, but the humans have the crystal and their weapons."

"The demons won't have any power at all if they get too close to that crystal," Kagome stressed.

"I _know_ , but Koga's ignoring that," Inuyasha groaned. "At this point, I'm just letting him do what he wants. If it comes down to it, I'll stop him."

A sudden change came over Kagome's face. "Well," she began, "maybe you don't have to."

"What are you talking about?" He thought that of all people, she would be the most adamant about stopping this.

"I'm not saying that starting a war is right," she clarified. "But... Koga might have the right idea about gathering demons. We need to protect the innocent yokai just as much as we need to stop the malicious ones. We have to warn them and keep them safe."

"We need allies," Inuyasha grunted. "Shippo said the same thing, but I don't know. Seems to me that demons like that are in short supply."

"But they still exist. And as long as they do, they don't deserve what Masao wants to do to them. It's no different than demons trying to go after innocent humans. No one deserves that."

The determination in Kagome's eyes struck Inuyasha in such a way that it twisted something in his gut— something between love and relief. This was the Kagome he knew. Still, the voice of doubt in his head persisted: "We can't protect them all."

Kagome's eyes dropped down to the water's surface. She seemed to debate his reply, her eyebrows twitching together and her lips pursed. Finally, she looked up again. "I just decided something."

Inuyasha's thoughts haulted. "Wait... what?"

"I'm done talking about Koga, and Masao, and war, and crystals. I've decided I'm done." With that conclusion, Kagome turned and climbed out of the water. She stood bare, steam from the spring clouding behind her as she combed her fingers through her hair.

Inuyasha scrambled to his feet. "But—"

"Done." Her voice wasn't angry or impatient as she cut him off, just factual. Kagome leaned down to pick up her white robe, slipping it over her shoulders and folding it closed. "This is the longest night of the year, the longest we've had to spend together since summer, and I'm not going to waste it talking about all of that. Plain and simple," she said as she tied the robe with a definitive pull. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Kagome raised a brow up at the perplexed hanyou. "Any questions?"

Inuyasha blanched. "Uh... no?"

"Good." Rising up on her toes to reach him, Kagome pecked his lips. His stunned hands paused before resting on her hips. "I want to spend time with _you_ ," she murmured against his lips.

Inuyasha held her just an inch closer. "No arguments here."

Kagome took Inuyasha's hand and led him over to the fire, where she'd laid out her blanket earlier. She was cozy and content, all she wanted to do was fall back onto a comfy bed and stretch out. Although, given the circumstance, a blanket on a cave floor was just fine, too. Inuyasha took a piece of the log he'd cut up and used his claws to slice it in quarters. As he positioned two of them in the fire, he caught Kagome watching him with a smirk from the other side of the flames.

"What?" he grunted.

Kagome's smirk only melted into a smile. "You're such a big show off," she teased.

"Shut up," Inuyasha tried not to laugh. The change in her from the last time they met still made his head spin. Once he was sure the fire would burn steadily, he dropped himself down on the blanket beside Kagome. Without even looking at each other, Kagome leaned against his shoulder and Inuyasha wrapped his arm around her side.

Kagome closed her eyes, taking in the crackling fire, flickering light, and the ever-present scent of pines. A deep breath in and out was all that passed before her eyes snapped open again. "Oh! Inuyasha, Sango's pregnant again!" she exclaimed, turning toward him with a hand on his chest.

"I know," Inuyasha chuckled under his breath at her excitement. "I could smell it on her when I went back to get Shippo. They were hiding out in a cave behind Mushin's temple."

"I'm happy for them," Kagome sighed. "I was afraid that I would be envious because they can still live their lives together through all of this. I don't think I am though... we'll have time for all of that later. I mean, if you want it."

Inuyasha stared down at Kagome, surprised that he felt no embarrassment or fear when she spoke so openly about their future together. "Yeah?"

"Mhm, I'm in no rush for it." Kagome shifted, lazily flinging her legs over Inuyasha's lap. "Anyway, this is my first time experiencing pregnant Sango. Any survival tips?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "She's not as scary as you might assume. She only ever got moody with the Monk... me too sometimes, but I usually deserved it."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome admonished, lightly smacking his chest. "Were you tormenting a pregnant _demon_ slayer? You might as well sign your own death certificate."

"My what?"

"Future thing, never mind."

"Gotcha," he nodded, eyes focusing on the fire. The topic seemed to haunt his thoughts, eyes focused on the fire. "Kagome? Have you returned to your world since I left?"

Caught off guard, Kagome frowned. "No," she admitted, her own gaze following his to the fire as her head fell back against his chest again. "I guess I'm just afraid that Captain Yorino or one of the soldiers will notice I'm gone, or something horrible will happen while I'm not there... or it'll close again and I'll never be able to return," the priestess released a trembling breath at the thought.

Inuyasha held her closer. "Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing," he murmured, only to cringe when Kagome's gaze snapped up to his in clear hurt. "Sorry, not what I meant," he reassured her. "It's just... at least when you were there I knew you were safe, and your family must be worried. It wouldn't be such a bad thing if you stayed there."

"Inuyasha, we're not fifteen anymore," Kagome began, shifting against him to be able to look straight into his eyes. "I didn't stay there when we were after Naraku and I'm not staying now, no matter how many times you try to send me back. You're not throwing me down the well this time, there's too much at stake."

"I _know_ what's at stake," Inuyasha snapped. "I've been thinking about nothing but what's at stake since the day I left. But.... _shit_ , I'm so used to relying on gut instinct and action and I _can't_ do that now. I'm not a fucking strategist. I'm in way over my head and if it's _you_ that's at stake—"

"Inuyasha," Kagome's palms rested against either side of his jaw, haulting all other thoughts. "Listen to me... you can't keep trying to solve this whole mess on your own and I can't either. I think that's what we've been doing wrong... we've both been so desperate to protect the other, that we've forgotten to work together. We can't keep going on like this."

Inuyasha released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, eyes falling closed as he gave himself up to her. "Okay... okay," he sighed, pressing their foreheads together. In a tender moment, he dipped his head to catch her lips, but blanched when she suddenly flopped backward.

Stretched out on the blanket with her legs still draped over Inuyasha's, Kagome stared up at the stone ceiling with a pensive expression. " _Or_ we could flee the country, alter our appearances, and change our names."

Inuyasha found his mind going in circles just trying to keep up with her; he didn't think he would ever be able to catch up, not even if he tried. It was just simpler to go along with her, rather than understand. "Alright, fine. You tattoo your entire face and I'll cut my hair."

"Noooo!" Kagome burst into a fit of giggles. She reached up to run her fingers through the long silver tresses. "I'll never talk to you ever again if you cut it. Sorry, I only love you for your hair."

"Damn, I knew it," Inuyasha laughed as he laid back to join her on the blanket.

Rolling over onto her side, Kagome buried her face against Inuyasha's shoulder to control her laughter. She curled in on herself, abdomen burning as she fought to catch her breath. Even Inuyasha wasn't immune and their laughter echoed throughout the cave until it died down, leaving them in easy silence. Kagome heaved a long and content sigh, rolling onto her back again. "It would be so much easier," she mused.

"It would," Inuyasha grunted. "But when have we ever done things the easy way?"

"Good point," she shrugged. While it was true, there was a silent understanding that neither of them would ever be able to abandon their friends and family here. It was more than just risking Masao cutting down the Sacred Tree without understanding its importance or him finding out about them. It was about refusing to give up what was theirs to protect. As she thought this over, Inuyasha's movement went unnoticed until he spoke again. 

"Kagome?" he called her to attention as he sat up and reached toward the little bundle she'd dropped next to her clothes. "What is this? It smells like Kaede."

Kagome shot up, scrambling to the bundle before she could take a breath. "I can't believe I forgot about it!" she exclaimed as she pulled apart the knot keeping the fabric together. As the edges fell, they revealed the intricate patterns of the embroidered quilt. "I found this at Masao's castle." When Inuyasha only seemed to become more confused, she continued, "This piece in the middle is what Kaede was embroidering the day she passed away."

The hanyou's eyes widened, his brow dropping low. "I remember," he murmured as he reached out to touch the fabric, fingertips hesitating in fear of ripping the delicate needlework with his claws. "I woke up to find her already in the garden that morning, so I took over and made her take a break. She sat under the tree and started working on this. When I asked her what the hell it was supposed to be, she just said that whenever she had a vivid dream, she'd stitch it. She was sewing the same piece the first night after you returned.”

Kagome paled, eyes snapping up to his. "I've been having the same dream since the night Masao arrived."

Inuyasha groaned and rubbed his hand over his forehead as he tried to make sense of this. "What the fuck was Masao doing with it?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But this just got a hundred times more complicated."

"Perfect. Just what we need."

Kagome sighed, letting her eyes sweep across the quilt. "Some of these pieces have to be almost fifty years old. I've been seeing her spirit at the Sacred Tree and the old shrine ruins. and each time she's appeared, she's had a piece of this quilt with her."

Inuyasha's face flashed in recognition. “Old shrine ruins?”

“Yeah,” Kagome nodded, “the shrine that used to be in the forest still has a few remains not far from Goshinboku. Her spirit lead me there once a few weeks ago.”

“I remember that place,” Inuyasha grunted. It had still been surrounding the Sacred Tree when Kikyo pinned him to it. “It had been dedicated to some Dragon deity. I never really paid attention to it.”

Kagome let the information pass her by, her mind wandering off in other directions as she stared at the fire. “It was nice seeing Kaede again, even if she didn't recognize me,” she murmured as she folded the quilt in her lap. “Well, she did recognize me once,” she laughed, “but she thought I was Kikyo.” Kagome turned to the hanyou. “Do you think I look... I don't know _more_ like her now?”

Inuyasha felt his lungs constrict. “...Only when you look sad,” he confessed.

“Funny,” Kagome shook her head with an absent smile, “that's exactly what Kaede said. I guess I've probably been _acting_ a lot like her lately, now that I think about it... but, I just have to remind myself,” she looked back up at Inuyasha, and her smile eased the pain in his chest. “The difference is that Kikyo never had hope and that's _all_ I have now. It sounds silly, I know, but it's true.”

Not for the first time, Inuyasha found himself speechless. He'd been struggling to explain it ever since Bodhi, but the way she described it made everything seem so simple.

Oblivious to his thoughts, Kagome pushed herself up to her feet and stretched her arms over her head. “I'm getting a little chilly again. I think I'll go back into the hot spring for a bit.”

Nodding in silent acknowledgment, Inuyasha let her go and turned his attention back to the fire. He tossed on a few more logs, carefully adjusting the already burning wood and stirring the embers. By the time he looked back up again, Kagome was already in the water. He saw her, up to her bare waist with her back facing him. The water glistened, creating a moonlight halo. Kagome's head was tilted back, damp hair clinging to her skin. Arms resting at her side, she looked up through the gap in the stone ceiling, at the stars and at the full moon as if she was praying. Inuyasha watched her, and this time, breathing came easy. His heartbeat steadily but warm, tepid blood seeped through his veins. This wasn't the priestess he saw in the courtyard, and this wasn't the girl that woke him up four years ago. Inuyasha saw a young woman who was only just learning to keep her head up, who made mistakes, who held strong, and struggled to show her heart to the world. He swore, every time he saw Kagome, it was like the first time over and over again.

Kagome turned her head to glance at him over her shoulder. Her eyes shimmered in the dark and as she smiled, the rest of her body followed her head. She held her hand out to him; hypnotized, Inuyasha rose up to accept her invitation. He was so entranced that he hadn't paid attention to the ground and tripped on a rock, sending himself tumbling ungracefully into the spring.

Kagome shielded herself in vain from the wave, squealing in pure laughter as he came back up, soaked hair covering his face like a curtain. Struggling to hold back her giggles, she brushed the hair from his face and cupped his cheeks. It didn't take much time before the glow of her smile turned his embarrassed frown into equal amusement.

Kagome draped her arms over his shoulders. “Who's the klutz now, huh?”

Inuyasha could have told her to shut up, but kissing her with everything he had seemed more effective.

It wasn't a boiling point. There was no burning, no desperate need, no now or never. It wasn't proof or even a consequence of their love for each other. What it was, was honest. It was just sex. Nothing more than that. This wasn't a necessity, and for them, that was what made it so special. There was tenderness and adoration just as much as there was awkward fumbling and muffled laughter.

Afterwards, holding onto each other on the blanket by the fire, they realized nothing really changed and nothing needed to.

The longest night of the year was over, and from then on, it would only get brighter.


	23. Chapter 23

_A crack of thunder._

_Kagome watched the eclipse in awe and bone-deep dread, but as one flare of the swallowed sun burst out in the sky, it drew her attention to a single point on the cliffs above them. She frowned, eyes straining to see it clearly. Inuyasha, pure white hair flowing in the eternal breeze, stood high up on a ledge between the beach and the top of the red cliffs._

_Another solar flare momentarily blinded Kagome, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut. When she opened them again, the human Inuyasha had disappeared without a trace in the sand, and the hanyou Inuyasha was stretching his hand down to her from the cliffs. Pushing herself to her feet, Kagome walked toward the cliffs. One touch was all it took to turn the jagged rocks to dust. Every attempt to climb sent her falling back to the sand. Kagome reached both hands up to Inuyasha, desperate to get to him._

_Another solar flare, like lightening, shot out from the eclipse. Inuyasha's figure became a silhouette until the light faded. He snarled down at her with elongated fangs and demonic markings on his skin, eyes glowing red._

Recoiling back from the nightmare, Kagome's eyes shot open in the soft glow of her hut. The hearth was still burning, though it was starting to die down. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Kagome crawled across the room to quietly place another log inside and stoke the embers. Within seconds, the hut was a shade brighter, and considerably warmer. Jun huffed in his sleep and stretched out in his place on Kagome's futon. Across the room, Rin was fast asleep cuddled up with Kei. If nothing else, the dogs were excellent space heaters.

Taking a pot of water that they'd let melt the night before, Kagome placed it over the fire pit and took a log from the hearth to heat it up. If she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, she may as well make tea. Takuya's obsession with herbs and teas made certain that they always had a good stock to choose from. Crawling back to her futon, Kagome draped her blanket over her shoulders and shifted Jun onto her lap, rubbing at her eyes again. A winter gust pushed through the thick straw covering over the door. Kagome could only just see the first lilac hints of dawn glowing between the strands. It was still dark out though, too early for any activity in the village. No one would be out in the fields until spring.

Jun huffed in his sleep and rolled onto his side, nearly knocking Kagome over with him. Sending the dog a half-hearted glare, she adjusted him on her lap and absent-mindedly scratched behind his ear. However, petting Jun and staring at the flames growing under the pot was only so entertaining. Soon enough, her eyes wandered around the room, and her mind followed, until they met at a slightly out of place floorboard. Glancing between the board and the door, she leaned over as far as she could without disturbing the dog until she could pry the wooden plank up. Rin had dropped one of the smaller pots while trying to clean it out the past week, and although one of the village men patched the hole up, she was left with a loose board slightly darker than the rest. Not entire loss though-- it made the perfect hiding spot.

Reaching into the hollow place under the floorboard, Kagome pulled Kaede's quilt out and sat up again. Jun made an annoyed groan at the movement but was pacified with a few more scratches. With the fabric in her lap, Kagome stared down at the designs, studying each stitch as if they would reveal all to her. It had to mean _something_ right? The quilt, the song, the spirits, the dreams, they were all intertwined around a centre she just couldn't find yet- branches to one tree.

That image struck her. Maybe the different squares all led to the centre of the quilt, to the black, fiery moon? Chewing on her bottom, Kagome frowned in thought and let her eyes wander to the first piece on the top right. It certainly looked the oldest, restitched over the years while the original threads wore down in colour. On a pale yellow cloth, two children played in the forest, a young boy and girl. The cloth under it was green, the two children standing back to back. The boy faced a samurai, and the girl faced a priestess. Both adults could only be seen from the neck down. However, despite the change in tone from the last piece, the children clasped hands behind their backs. Kagome brushed her fingertips over the priestess and the young girl. The stitching was crude, and the picture obviously made by the hand of a child, but she knew without detail that it was Kaede and Kikyo.

"Daddy, why we gotta be up so early?" 

The little voice outside cut straight through her thoughts. Kagome set the quilt aside and reluctantly shifted Jun's head off her lap so she could tiptoe her way to the door. Pushing the straw covering back from the door, she peeked outside. The cold wind brushed over her face.

"Shhhh, quiet now, sweetheart," Miroku hushed Sayuri as the family trekked through the snow. "Everyone is sleeping, and we don't want to wake them up."

"But _I_ don't want to be waked up, Daddy," she pouted.

The Monk sighed and knelt down to tug her winter kimono tighter around her. "Trust me, darling, neither do I. Sango? Are you still feeling alright?"

The demon slayer soon came into view, following after her husband and daughter. "I've told you, I'm fine," she replied absentmindedly as she turned her head back over her shoulder. "Umeko, don't wander off. We can play in the snow later," Sango whispered. The girl came running toward her mother, latching onto her leg with a tired _"sorry"_. Mamoru squirmed for a moment, tucked under his mother's robes, before falling asleep again. Without another sound, the family continued on through the snow. They ducked into a hut up the path, the only other home with firelight leaking through every crack. Only seconds after them, another village couple entered.

"Kagome?" Rin groaned from her bedroll. She pulled her blanket up over her head, messy hair spilling out from under the fabric. "Close the door, you're letting all the cold air in."

Kagome pulled the straw covering back into place, not bothered by the girl's grumpy attitude for a moment. Rin was always in a bad mood when she first woke up - what teenage girl wasn't? "Sorry, Rin," Kagome whispered as she tiptoed her way over to the trunk.

"What are you doing up?" Rin's muffled voice asked from under her cocoon.

"Something's going on outside. I'm going to go check it out," she replied as she pulled out her winter kimono.

That piqued Rin's attention. She pushed herself upright, blankets pooling around her and hair covering her face. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Kagome shrugged. "That's why I'm going out."

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Rin stumbled up to her feet. "I want to see too."

Kagome tied her kimono closed. "You don't have to, Rin. Go back to sleep if you want, the dogs can stay with you."

"No, it's okay. I'm curious now, I won't be able to go back to sleep anyway. Promise we can have breakfast after, though?"

Kagome offered her a tired smile, pulling the smaller winter kimono out of the trunk and draping it over Rin's shoulders. "I've already got the water boiling." Letting the girl pull her robe on, Kagome brushed her fingers through her wild hair. Once she was dressed, the two of them pushed back the straw covering over the door and ventured out into the dark morning.

Winter was never quiet. It was ambient. The wind passing through the bare forests and hills, rattling ice on tree branches, and distant notes of snowbirds all hummed together in one resonating chord. Kagome took a moment to close her eyes and let the sound vibrate through her chest before following in the footsteps of the early risers. As they approached the hut, they could hear hushed voices speaking urgently inside.

"...what we saw that night was awful. Please, we don't want to see the same happen in our own homes," Miroku stressed.

"But our two practices have always coexisted beside each other so peacefully."

Kagome stopped Rin just outside the door, pressing her finger to her lips as they listened.

Inside, Miroku continued to urge the villagers to see his reasoning. "I know it may seem strange to us, but I _must_ urge you all to cooperate."

"Why should we be forced to hide our way of life? I was raised in a Shinto family, my wife is Buddhist, we've never separated one from the other," One of the young men spoke up.

"Wouldn't the Buddha want us to stand our ground against this threat?" His wife agreed.

"The Buddha would first and foremost want you to live and protect your family," Miroku countered. "I am not asking you to abandon your ways, but we _must_ be careful. Lord Masao made an example of that village, and he will do the same to us. I am afraid that even Sango and I would not be able to fight back against an army of guns. We must be persistent in our practices, but we can't do that if we can't survive."

Motioning for Rin to follow, Kagome slipped past the straw covering and the hanging mat, holding it open for the girl to enter. The room was packed with villagers with hardly any room to stand let alone sit down. Only a space in the corner, a little stack of hay, was reserved for the children to curl up. The Monk sent a flickering glance to his daughters, cuddling up to each other and fast asleep already. Kagome could barely see his face through the crowd. "Years ago, I would not have hesitated to stand up for my beliefs. It would have gladly given my life to protect them..." his gaze shifted to Sango, "but it is not my life to give anymore."

An elderly woman spoke up from the centre of the room, closest to the fire pit where the other elders had gathered. "It is very easy to make bold proclamations when you are the only one affected."

The young couple were silenced, realizing somberly that the others were right. The room soon after erupted into hushed and urgent murmurs, debating back and forth the course of action they should take. No one seemed to agree on anything, but just when it seemed that the conversations were growing heated, one voice cut through the noise. "It's Lady Kagome!" Instantly, the entire room went silent. Anyone within reaching distance of her backed up, apprehension seizing the atmosphere.

Miroku remained blissfully unaffected by their uneasy, smiling at his friend. "Ah, hello Kagome! I'm sorry, I would have invited you, but it's so late at night... or early, pardon me," he added with a sheepish laugh.

One of the village farmers snapped his stunned glare to the Monk. "Why would you think of inviting her?! She is Lord Masao's priestess!"

"I am not Masao's anything," Kagome snapped before she could control her temper.

The farmer turned his glare to her. "He appointed you Head Priestess, you work for him," he gestured to the gathered Buddhists. "She will turn us all in!"

"Kagome would never do that!" Rin shouted in her defence. "She hates Masao! He's the reason Inuyasha had to leave!"

" _Rin_!" Kagome paled. The room went silent again, the ambient winter outside blowing snow in through the open door. The room felt colder, but Kagome's body grew hot with anxiety. Even Miroku and Sango on the other side of the room looked back at her with wide eyes.

Rin flinched back, realizing her mistake too late. She remembered months back when Takuya told her she had to be careful when she said that name; she really wished she'd listened. "I'm sorry, Kagome..." she whispered.

The farmer who had accused her of alliance with Masao softened his expression, though mistrust lingered on his face. "You hate-"

"I want to offer my help," Kagome cut him off. She wasn't ready to go there just yet. "Bring your altarpieces and statues to the Shrine, and I'll store them underneath the shrine house. I'll hide everything, and when you want to practice, you can do it in the safety and privacy of the shrine. It's only temporary. I'll even tell the soldiers that you all converted so they leave you alone."

The young woman who'd spoken up earlier stepped forward, arm linked in her husband's. "You would do that?"

"Of course I would!" Kagome smiled, catching Miroku's relieved look. "Buddhism and Shintoism have such a long friendship. They're two halves of a whole way of life. Besides, this is my home, and everyone in this village is a part of it. You can trust me."

"You said this is temporary," another farmer crossed his arms over his chest. "Lady Kagome, do you mean to commit treason against Lord Masao?"

Kagome did not shrink back from the question. Dropping her head, she closed her eyes and inhaled a long breath. She let it out slowly, feeling resolve seeping through her veins. Finally, she looked up again, fire and willpower returning to her eyes after a far too long absence. "Yes. That is exactly what I mean to do." Whispers trickled through the crowd. "What Masao is doing... conquering land for his army, persecuting Buddhists for not following his beliefs... and attacking innocent demons is wrong. I know he said that he protected us, but I've seen what his men do with those guns. He's not protecting us, he's holding us hostage. He has to be stopped." The echoing silence her voice left was deafening, but Kagome held her ground. This was long overdue. "I'm not asking you to fight against him with me. I would never ask you to do that. I'm only asking you to trust that I will help you in any way I can, and that you open your eyes to what is really going on here”

Sango pushed her way forward before any of the villagers could respond, crossing the hut to stand at Kagome's side. Her gaze was heated and fierce as it swept the crowd, daring anyone to oppose her. "Kagome has, and always had, my trust," she reached down to hold her hand in a strong grip. Kagome squeezed back in thanks.

Gradually, murmurs of agreement filled the room. Those that didn't speak, out of fear or disagreement, only nodded to promise they wouldn't betray her. Kagome bit back tears, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve before any could spill onto her cheeks. This was what she'd wanted for so long, and what she'd been too terrified to reach for. It wasn't the solution, but speaking out had finally gotten her on the right track. "Three nights from now, I'll hang a lantern from the Torii gates at the shrine when the soldiers are gone and everyone is asleep. Wait until you see it, then bring everything you need to hide." The crowd voiced their understanding.

With everything settled, the villagers filed out, eager to return to their homes and get a few more hours of sleep. It was only as Kagome turned toward the door to leave as well that another villager spoke up again. "Lady Kagome," the temperamental farmer began, "what Rin said about Inuyasha-"

Kagome paused with her hand pushing back the doormat. She shook her head, keeping her back to him as she walked out into the lilac dawn. "Don't ask."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The Captain watched from the steps leading up to the main house of the castle as the prisoners were assembled in the courtyard. It was the same filth they'd rounded up the night of their festival, Bodhi or whatever it was called. Yorino stood proudly at his vantage point. The were being released, after they'd finally pledged themselves to Lord Masao. Being left to rot in cold prison cells for nearly a month was more than enough to change their loyalties. However, they would not be set free immediately. All able-bodied men were being separated from the herd and sent to the military training camp, to strengthen the Warlord's army. Yorino usually enjoyed such spectacles, but it seemed that day, that it wouldn't be so easy.

An old woman was struggling against the holds of the samurai conducting the separation, resisting backhanded strikes and orders to stay silent as she reached out for her husband. The man was grey, but plenty strong enough to at the very least make a few campaigns before his old age gave out, plenty useful for the military. Despite his pleas for his wife to let him go before she got hurt, the old hag continued to reach for him. Finally, Yorino couldn't stand to listen to her screeching any longer. The Captain descended into the courtyard. Instantly, the soldiers tensed.

"Can you not handle one old hag?" he spat towards the soldiers holding her back.

"A-Apologies, Captain Yorino," one of the soldiers bowed his head. "It's just that she will not obey-"

"So, _make_ her obey," Yorino rolled his eyes. "I don't care if you cut her throat, just shut her up."

"Wait!" The elderly woman cried. "Please Captain, do not take my husband!" Wrenching herself from the stunned soldiers' grips, she collapsed to her knees and threw herself down in a bow. "He is old, and will not survive if he is sent away. You have so many strong young men, he will only slow you down. Please, spare him!"

Yorino regarded her coldly. "If he can walk, we can make use of him."

"He'll die, please!"

The Captain could barely contain his annoyance at that point, but rather than lash out, he decided he may as well have some fun. After all, it was so rare they had good entertainment. “What can you offer me in return for your husband's life?”  
Seeing her chance, the woman wracked her brain for an answer. Yorino had been about to give up on her when she cried out again. “I- I have information!”

"What could _you_ possibly tell me," Yorino scoffed and turned his back on the woman, at his patience's end.

"That priestess! The one that Lord Masao brought here on Bodhi!" she rushed. Yorino stopped, slowly turning back to face her. He crossed his arms over his chest, and nodded for her to continue. "She came into the prison that night and spoke with one of the captives, a young man that wasn't from our village. She whispered to him, and kissed him, I saw it all."

Yorino took a step forward, towering over the old woman. "Where was the young man being kept?"

"I-In the secluded cell at the end of the hall, Captain."

"And what was his name? Toga, wasn't it?"

The old woman shook her head. "No, no, it wasn't Toga, it was something longer..." she trailed off, eyes squeezed shut and face tensed in thought.

Yorino snapped impatiently. "What was his name, hag?!"

"It was... it was Inuyasha! Inuyasha, that's what she called out to him."

Yorino's arms dropped to his sides, hands clenching into fists. That was not a name any old woman could throw out. Not even with the beast's widespread travels could she have known his name, and what his name meant. Realization soon became rage, until whatever was boiling in his blood made them indiscernible from one another. He gritted his teeth, watching the old woman shrink back in horror at the fury in his eyes. He knew what this meant, but how the priestess had betrayed him, he didn't know. It was the only conclusion- Lady Kagome was a traitor. The samurai lined up around the courtyard glanced between one another anxiously as Captain Yorino turned and stalked back to the steps. "Throw that woman out with the rest and take the men away," he snarled.

Deaf to the screaming protests of his broken deal, Yorino marched up to one of the soldiers and yanked the slow-burning match off his armour. The man didn't dare argue as the Captain retreated up the steps out of the courtyard. Yorino kept walking, spine coiled and pace brisk, until he hit the far wall of the castle, an area surrounded by trees and bushes. In a fit of anger, he tore the pistol out of the holster on his belt and primed from his gunpowder horn. The frustration of trying to get the damn thing loaded was overwhelming, but the satisfaction of firing made it worth it.

The violent rip through the air cracked like thunder and echoed for miles. Yorino let the sinister pulse tear through his body and into the air from the pistol, closing his eyes to take in the satisfying tension after the shot. What he didn't notice was the little green and yellow songbird that fell from the sky moments after.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Inuyasha, did I do it right?" Shippo held up his fragile little creation, the bamboo frame already falling apart.

Paintbrush hovering over the rice paper of his own work, Inuyasha cast a side glance down to the boy's attempt at a lantern. "No," he answered honestly. "That thing'll never even fly. I told you, just stick to regular ones, sky lanterns are tricky."

Shippo's face scrunched up in an indignant pout. "It will so fly!" he vowed, leaping up to his feet and effectively knocking Inuyasha's paints over.

"Hey, watch it!" the hanyou protested.

"I'll show you!" the kitsune proclaimed. Holding his lantern out in one hand, he invoked his fox fire in the other, and lit it from his palm. He waited until the blue flames grew before throwing it into the air, only to watch as the fire engulfed the entire frame and fell to the ground in a burning clump. Shippo got down on his knees and leaned over the side of the alcove to watch it's descent. "No! I was sure I had it that time!" he cried.

Inuyasha scoffed. "Hate to say I told you so-"

"Then shut the fuck up."

And just like that, Inuyasha had enough. With a tense calm, he set the lantern down at his side and put his paints upright again. Turning to Shippo, he regarded the boy with the same false tranquillity. "Shippo. You're fucking _dead_."

Squealing in fear, Shippo jumped up just in time to avoid a claw swipe at him. He scrambled down from the alcove on all fours, jumping the last few feet off the rock wall and onto the ground. Inuyasha was instantly behind him, grabbing for him every time he got close enough, only for the kid to move out of the way just in time. The two ran into the Wolf Den just like that, Shippo pleading for Inuyasha to forgive him, and Inuyasha shouting all the ways he was going to kill him; in extraordinary detail, too. Shippo was so focused on not dying that he failed to see the path he was running on, soon paying the consequence as he rammed head first into a sturdy leg. Flying back, the kitsune groaned and rubbed his forehead. It was only when he looked up to see who he'd run into that he felt his tails stand on end. A demon in human form with massive black wings, three eyes, and feathers for hair stared down at him. Given the choice between the two, he'd rather be killed by Inuyasha. He scurried toward the hanyou and took cover behind his legs.

The crow demon seemed to be only amused. "It looks like you got yourself into more trouble than you could handle, little fox," she chuckled.

"Ignore the kid." Koga sent Shippo an annoyed glare for interrupting his conversation with the tengu queen, his eyes narrowing when Inuyasha snickered.

The tengu held up a hand to silence him. "It's alright, he was only playing." Striding forward, she looked down at Shippo with a steady gaze. "Now, come out from behind that dog demon, young man." Although her tone was kind, her eyes denoted a sternness that suggested he obeyed.

Shippo inched out from behind his shelter, moving as slowly as possible until finally, Inuyasha's foot nudged him forward. He would have glared back at him had he not been so terrified of this woman. "Uh... sorry," he choked.

"Two tails, at such a young age," the tengu queen mused, disregarding his apology. "You must be quite a strong kitsune."

Instantly, Shippo's posture changed. Standing tall and boastful, he smiled up at the woman and decided that he definitely liked her.

Behind him, Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Don't tell him that, it'll go straight to his head."

"Like you're one to talk," Koga fired back, his annoyance mounting. "Can we get on with this already?"

The tengu queen turned back to the impatient wolf prince. "Yes, we can. Our clans are ancient allies, Koga. You can be certain that we will join you in this war. However, I would like to learn more about this Godstone."

Koga nodded, shifting in his proud stance as he moved to lead her and her escorts further into the cavern. "Follow me, then."

"Koga!" One of the wolf demons called from the mouth of the cave. "The snake youkai are here!"

Koga groaned, rubbing his hand over his face and restraining the urge to tear something apart. "Alright, alright, let them in. Might as well speak to both clans at once." The wolf sent Inuyasha another glare for laughing at his annoyance.

A small convoy of youkai with gleaming scales crawling up theirs necks and up their wrists entered the cave under the guards of the wold demons, their harsh, slitted eyes flickering in mistrust at the gathered demons. Their leader stepped forward, his elaborate kimono slithering behind him. "Prince Koga, the Hebi clan would like to ally our forces against the warlord Masao," his forked tongue shot out from between his lipless mouth in disgust. "His Captain killed my brother, the original Hebi Leader."

Koga seemed uninterested in the demon's plight, but did not reject him. "Fine with me. This way." He'd been about to lead them away when he noticed that Inuyasha made no move to follow. "Are you coming or what?"

The tengu queen looked dismissively over her shoulder. "The Inu Hanyou?"

Inuyasha's lip curled. "I've got better things to do than play diplomat. Like drinking acid," he snarled as he spun around and leapt back up into his alcove. Shippo was quick to follow, though he entered the space cautiously. When Inuyasha didn't protest, he wordlessly sat back down beside him, and decided that he'd had enough of making sky lanterns for one day.

Inuyasha picked up his paintbrush again, and went back to work on his lantern. He didn't even know why he was making them anymore, it just seemed to be the only way he could clear his head. The longer he spent away from Kagome, the more elaborate his creations became. It was a distraction, and with how angry he was at the moment, he needed all the distraction he could get.

He didn't know how long he'd been working until he looked up and suddenly it was twilight. Shippo had fallen asleep at his side, paint smeared on his face and rice paper sticking to his cheek. Something inside him stirred as he looked back out at the horizon. Inuyasha felt his heart jump in his chest, a sinister pulse rippling through the air. He could have sworn he heard thunder.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kagome sheltered the flame from the midnight wind with her hand, waiting until it was strong enough to burn on its own. Using a long bamboo shoot, she lifted the lantern up to hang it on the crossbeam of the Torii gate. The drums of the soldiers marching back up to their fortress had long since faded. The lantern was a silent signal, and it only took moments to be seen from across the village. From her high vantage point, she watched as the doors of every Buddhist's home move aside, only as flickering specks of firelight. They would bring their relics to her for safekeeping in a space beneath the floorboards of the shrine, where she had already cleared enough room for shelter. It would not be a difficult trick to pull off, convincing Masao that the villagers had renounced their Buddhist practices - many of them already had Shinto traditions in their home. Never before had the two been so separated - but they would do what they must to comply, to keep their families safe. Kagome shivered against the cold, pulling her hanten tighter around herself.

"What you are doing is dangerous," Takuya commented from her side, hands clasped behind his back. Kagome frowned, holding her head up higher in defiance. The priest only smiled. "But it is also right."

Kagome breathed in relief and relaxed. "I know,” she smiled back, rubbing her hands together for warmth in the cold. "And I know it's dangerous. I just can't be a witness any longer. I thought that being quiet and enduring was my only option, but... I can't stay silent anymore."

Takuya nodded, reaching out to rest his hand on her shoulder. "Your words are more powerful than you believe them to be, Kagome. I am glad you are starting to learn that." One by one, villagers below crept out of their homes in the dead quiet of the night, carrying their precious idols to the towering summit of the shrine. "Words, and names especially, can have the greatest effects."

Kagome nodded in return, eyes gleaming in the lantern light as she turned her smile to watch over her village. A sinister pulse rippled through the air. Her smile slowly faded as her troubled gaze rose to the starless horizon. Arms wrapping around her abdomen, Kagome felt her heart skip. She could have sworn she heard thunder.


	24. Chapter 24

Yorino straightened his back as he entered the room. He had wanted to speak to his master through the crystal. A safer distance, like his outpost near Lady Kagome's village across the plains, would have been preferable. He could only imagine the fury the young Lord would unleash by the time this was over, and he wanted to be nowhere near it. But, he had yet to leave Seishi castle, and there was no justifiable excuse to keep this information to himself any longer. He'd been there since the night of the village siege nearly two months ago and Lord Masao would have his head if he waited until he'd gone back to his post to speak to him.

Captain Yorino liked to think that there was not much in this world that he truly feared, but even he knew when to value his life.

Lord Masao sat on a pile of luxurious pillows at a low table, looking over a few scrolls. To his left, an intricate cast iron bowl perched on a three legged stand held burning coals, heating the room. Mixed in with the coals were a few clear crystals, emitting a soft white glow. The young lord looked up as Yorino entered. The Captain immediately lowered himself to his knees and bowed to him. Respect, admiration, and fear curved in his spine.

"Captain," Masao addressed, finally giving him permission to sit up, "I was told you had information to share."

"I do," the older man nodded, his fists curling on his knees. "Regarding Lady Kagome."

"Is she ill?" Masao's face fell into troubled concern.

"No, no. She is in good health, that is information I can confirm from the last report from her village," Yorino quickly interjected. "This is about something a little more... startling, you could say. When we were releasing the prisoners from the village, and taking the men for your army, an old hag begged me to spare her husband. Of course, that would have been against your commands so I never considered—"

"Get on with it, Captain," Masao cut him off in a bored tone, his eyes drifting back to his scrolls.

"Yes, sorry my Lord," Yorino nodded. "The woman offered me information in exchange for her husband's life. She had been locked in the prison the night of the village siege and claimed to have seen Lady Kagome enter to speak with one of the prisoners."

Masao waved Yorino off, picking up his ink brush. "This is no news to me, Captain. She had been taking a curse off of one of my soldiers and had to remove it from the original owner. That is all—"

"My lord, the hag said that she had called the prisoner 'Inuyasha'!"

Masao dropped his brush; the ink spread out in a stain over the map he'd been examining. Slowly, he lifted his head. "That hanyou is dead. Lady Kagome destroyed him herself."

Yorino flinched back. "Yes, that is what I believed too, but there is no way the hag could have known that beast's name."

The warlord rose to his feet and Yorino had to restrain himself from cowering backwards. Masao walked to the wall, pushing it back to let the brisk cold seep into the room. The coals hissed. "It is a coincidence."

That was not the reaction Yorino had expected in the least. "But my lord, Lady Kagome was there with him in the prison. The woman said that she kissed him."

"It is either a coincidence or she did not succeed in destroying him," Masao snapped. "In either case, Lady Kagome is guiltless. That hanyou deceived her. It would be just like the beast to trick her like that."

Yorino held his breath because denial didn't seem to cover what Masao was sinking into. "My Lord... why is it that you bear such a vendetta against Inuyasha?"

Masao did not respond, and for a moment, Yorino feared that those words would be the last he ever spoke. Finally, Masao turned to face him. "Take your leave, Captain," he hissed. 

Yorino did not hesitate to obey. With a hasty bow, he rose to his feet and tried not to run out of the room. The moment the door slid closed behind him, Masao lowered himself back down onto his pillows. Staring intently at the ink blotch on his map, his hands began to shake in hot rage. With a roar, he pushed the scrolls off the table, sending them fluttering to the floor. All that was left in his line of vision was the cast iron bowl.

A stark calm washed over him.

Reaching into the coals, Masao plucked a glowing white crystal. It cooled instantly. With a thin steel file, he began to shave the jagged edges, the core seeping with a dull blue light.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When Rin woke up to find the snow drifts up to her knees, she realized that her shrine chores were canceled for the day. It was just as simple as that. She pulled the door coverings back into place, ignored Kagome's odd side glance, and crawled right back into bed. Muffled by the layers of blankets piled on top of her, along with a dog or two, she focused on going back to sleep. Whether the sun was about to come up or not was no longer her concern. For all she cared, the whole village was canceled for the day. Simply canceled.

"Kagome, Rin, good morning." Takuya shivered as he entered the hut, quickly pulling the door coverings back into place before the cold could seep in. He sat at the edge of the raised floor to take off his reed boots. "Rin are you still in bed?" he chastised. Only a quiet distorted voice answered him. "Pardon?"

Rin lifted the edge of her blankets but did not come out. "Everything's canceled today. Come back tomorrow," she groaned.

Takuya glanced over at Kagome, who was trying to stifle her laughter as she stirred their breakfast. "Is it now?"

"Mhm."

Raising a brow, the Priest stood and padded across the floor over to her futon. "And you've just decided this?"

"I didn't," Rin replied. "The snow did."

"Well," Takuya shook his head, walking over to the other side of the fire pit and kneeling down to warm up, "who am I to argue with the snow?"

Kagome smiled at her teacher as she dished him out a bowl full of rice porridge. "Are you going to let her off that easily?" she teased.

Takuya easily countered, "Are _you_ going to be the one to try getting her up?"

"Good point," Kagome laughed. Really, for as hard as he tried to discipline both Rin and her, Takuya had such a soft heart.

"We'll take the day off just this once, ladies. And I mean it. Just this once. Only because the snow is so deep," Takuya announced as he lifted his bowl up to his lips.

Rin finally poked her head out from under her blankets, quickly bundling them up around her neck so the heat wouldn't escape. "Does this mean I can go play outside?"

"I thought you said everything was canceled today!" Takuya blanched.

"Yeah, all the _boring_ stuff!"

"Unbelievable."

Stepping in before the two got into an argument, as they often did, Kagome ladled out a bowl of rice porridge for Rin and passed it to her. "If you're going to play outside, don't stay out for too long, okay? And make sure to put on extra layers and wear your reed boots."

Rin eagerly accepted the food, giving a quick bow in thanks before she began to eat. "I will!" she promised with a mouthful of porridge. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, Rin scrambled out about and pulled on her winter kimonos, layering the different garments until she was sufficiently warm. Lastly, pulling on her and reed snow boots, she stopped to finish the last bit of porridge and ran out the door. Jun was hot on her heals, barking after her. Kei hardly moved through the excitement, taking one look at the snow outside before huffing and trotting cross the room to plop herself in Kagome's lap.

Takuya watched Rin pull the door covering back into place from outside, the sound of her laughter fading as she ran into the village. "I haven't seen so much snow in mid winter since I was Rin's age. I can remember the excitement," he laughed, finishing off his own bowl of porridge. He turned to his student. "You're not going to join her?"

"Hm?" Kagome looked up from her breakfast, barely touched in comparison. "Oh, I don't think so," she shrugged. "I"ll be the first to admit that I haven't grown out of playing in the snow, but I have other things on my mind today."

"What is troubling you?" Takuya asked.

Staring at her bowl of porridge intently for a moment, Kagome sighed and dumped it back into the pot. She was going to eat of course, but it probably wouldn't be until after she was finished speaking with Takuya. At least this way it wouldn't get cold. Giving the pot another stir, she idly scratched Kei's head and refocused her attention on her teacher. "Did Kaede have any friends when she was a child? A boy?"

Takuya frowned. "Where is this coming from?"

Kagome shifted sideways just enough to lift the floor board and pull the fabric out. "The centre piece is what I've been dreaming about and it was the last addition Kaede made before she died. I've been looking at the pieces around it and it almost looks like a story. I think the little girl in the oldest pieces is Kaede, but she's always with a little boy, even as they grow up in the different squares."

Takuya's brows furrowed in thought as he took the quilt, examining it by firelight. "You have to understand, Kagome," the priest said, scratching the back of his neck. "I wasn't born until my cousin was already a young lady. I have no idea what her personal life was like when she was a child. I'm afraid I can't do anything to decipher this for you, if that's what you were hoping for," he said as he passed it back.

Kagome took the quilt with a disappointed sigh. "I was," she folded the blanket, allowing her gaze to sweep over it once more.

"She was very close to a young man when I was a child, though." Takuya offered. "I can't really remember his name, or whatever happened to him, but the two were inseparable."

"That might be it then," Kagome mused.

Turning back to the fire, Takuya rubbed his hands together. He held his palms out to warm up. "At this point, I suppose the only person who would have known the connection to all of this was Kaede."

Kagome glanced up at him, struck by the truth and finality of his words. She knew that somehow all of this was Kaede's way of leaving her story behind, but she couldn't help feeling like she should have just told her while she was still living. Maybe the late priestess meant to, though. Maybe she planned on telling them her story that golden summer afternoon. It seemed like a lifetime ago, now. Her thoughts were cut off by the dim sound of Rin's laughter on the other side of the door.

Outside, Rin had joined a few of the other children in playing in the snow. Jumping in the white banks and packing snow balls to throw at each other, they ran through the streets of the village with Jun trotting behind. This was something Rin could only vaguely recall doing in the village where she was born. That was back when she had a mother and, and three older brothers, and a father she could only remember by the smell of hearth fire. She was so young at the time, that winters werea hazy memory. She did, though, remember stumbling through the snow drifts and pretending to hide from the boys until she could pounce out on them. Memories like that helped her to not be sad. The real focus of the moment, though, was getting Akane back for pegging her with a snow ball.

"I have an idea!" One of the boys called out over the din of laughter. "Let's play 'Slay the Demon!' One person is the demon and everyone else has to throw snow balls to slay them. But if the demon touches you, you're a demon, too!"

"How do we choose the demon?" Akane asked.

"Uhhhh... whoever got scolded by their parents last!"

Rin placed her hands on her hips, pouting. "That's a stupid game. Just because someone got in trouble doesn't mean they should be the demon."

"Yes it does," the boy argued. "Demons are bad so whoever was bad last is the demon. It's just a game, Rin. _You're_ stupid."

"Fine, I'd rather be stupid than play with you anyway," Rin huffed, turning on her heel and kicking some snow up at him just for good measure. Leaving the group behind, she walked back through the streets toward her home. Jun trotted faithfully at her side. All she wanted was to go back inside and lay down with her head in Kagome's lap so she could talk about everything that was bothering her. She liked moments like that with Kagome because she always knew how to make her feel better, plus she would play with her hair which felt nice. She hadn't walked far from the group when one of the soldiers stepped into her path from the market. It was the same one who commented on her kimono before the summer festival, when Inuyasha had to leave. Immediately, she frowned up at him.

The soldier didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, he laughed, amused at her anger. "Come on now girl, why don't you smile?" he asked.

"Because I don't want to," she grumbled.

"You should smile more often, you have a very lovely smile," the soldier pressed, moving to place his hand on her shoulder. She stepped out of the way. "You know, you will grow into a beautiful young lady soon. You shouldn't be so childish or you'll never find a husband. No man will want a girl with such a sour expression. You should smile."

Rin felt her stomach twist. "You have no say in what I should and shouldn't do," she replied, holding her chin up in defiance. "Why should I care about pretending to be happy, or anything at all, just to find a husband? I don't want a husband anyway. Now, leave me alone." Without giving him a chance to recover from his shock, Rin stomped away through the snow, heading straight home. Now she felt out of place and decided that it would have been better if she had canceled the day all together.

A harsh upstart of wind blew snow from the ground up in her face. Rin stopped, raising her arms to shield herself. As soon as it had come, the wind disappeared and the snow drifted to the ground. A blinding light in front of her faded, leaving a tall white demon staring down at her with a hidden kindness tucked deeply in his eyes. Rin's face paled.

"Rin,” Sesshomaru greeted his ward. “You are doing well?" He only noticed her white complexion after her unusual silence. A scowl crossed his face as he looked to the home she had been dwelling in, no doubt wondering if her guardians had been careless enough to allow her to get sick.

Finally though, Rin spoke, and put those fears to rest. "I-I'm doing perfectly well, my Lord, but—"

"Good," Sesshomaru nodded. Without another word, he handed her a thick parcel. Too stunned by her Lord's sudden appearance to think, Rin took the parcel and untied to cord keeping it together, finding a beautifully intricate winter robe inside. Her silence troubled the demon standing over her. "You are quiet, Rin. You are not pleased?" Whether it was by the gift or his visit, he didn't know, but she had never been anything less than ecstatic to see him.

"N-no, I'm not, I mean, I am not _not_ pleased to see you my Lord, but—" again, Rin found herself cut off. Distant shouts and deep male voices echoed from the distant streets of the village. She spun around to watch as the handful of soldiers and the village men began to advance on them. Her heart stopped. "My Lord, please, you have to go!" she begged.

Sesshomaru frowned. "I do not understand."

Cries of "demon!" echoed throughout the village and families peered through their doors to keep close tabs on the chaos. Most looked at Sesshomaru with wide eyed recognition while some returned to their homes and others ran out to join the forming mob. To her right, Rin could hear the door covering of her home being pushed away and Kagome and Takuya's footsteps while they ran outside. She turned and watched as Kagome skidded to a stop, skin turning just as pale as hers. Takuya placed his hand on her shoulder, but hadn't touched her a second before Kagome took off running toward them. "Sesshomaru," she panted, "you can't be here."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, unsure of whether or not he should be offended that his half brother's woman dared to speak to him like that or that his presence was stirring such an irritating commotion. When the soldiers and village men stopped only a short distance away and began to prime their weapons, all uncertainty disappeared. He reached out and pulled Rin against his side, his other arm stretched out with glowing claws, shielding Kagome. His entire demeanor transformed, sinister and challenged. The soldiers reacted with shouted commands, presenting their guns to the enemy. Sesshomaru didn't flinch in the slightest. Those weapons couldn't touch him, he could slice a bullet in half before it cut through the air. That didn't seem to stop Kagome tensing behind him and Rin gasping at his side.

Seeing the demon's refusal to give in, one of the commanding soldiers stepped forward and reached into his robe. Rin knew what it was before he even pulled out the colourless stone. Her panicked gaze flickered up to her Lord and back to Kagome. If the Samurai with the crystal saw that Sesshomaru was protecting the both of them, he might suspect a connection. Thinking quick, Rin decided that she couldn't let that happen so, she put on a show.

Flinging herself at Sesshomaru's arm, she threw her hand up to her forehead with a dramatic cry. Stunned out of his protective trance, Sesshomaru caught her before she could fall with a confused frown. "Oh no!" she cried. "This evil demon has me in his clutches!"

The villagers did not react to Rin's dramatics, but behind her, Kagome raised a brow, just as confused as Sesshomaru. It only took a moment before she caught onto her plan. Rin had always been a bit of a drama queen, but she had to admit, it wasn't a bad a idea for such a sudden predicament.

"Oh, whatever will I do?" Rin continued, playing this up as much as she could. "This demon will probably take me away! Far away!" she looked up at Sesshomaru with a pointed look, exasperated by his inability to take a hint. " _Probably. Right. Now!_ "

Finally, Sesshomaru caught up to Rin's plan. Tightening his grip around her, he took off into the air, leaving another blinding squall of light and snow in his stead. The soldiers were left to shield their eyes, gunpowder covered in melting slush and rendered useless. Kagome didn't stay to watch Sesshomaru fly over the forest with Rin. By the time the snow had settled again, she was inside her hut and pulling on reed snow boots, grabbing her bow and quiver. "I'll go after them, everyone stay here!" she announced, running outside again.

"Wait, Lady Kagome!" The commanding soldier stopped her before she could run past. "That was a fearsome and powerful demon—it's too dangerous for you to go on your own."

Kagome stepped around him. "I've faced this demon before, I can handle him. If you and your men follow, he will only sense us sooner. I'll go alone. Rin is my responsibility."

"Then please, at least take this," he offered, holding out a godstone; the polished surface glinted in the winter daylight.

Kagome's expression soured. "I don't need it," she insisted. Leaving no room for arguments, Kagome ran off down the streets and toward the frozen rice paddies. Glancing behind to be sure that no one was following, she sprinted into the forest. Jun and Kei ran ahead of her, weaving around bare bushes and frost covered trees. She followed them into the thicker parts of the forest, stumbling more than a few times over patches of ice. Their wild barking resonated through the forest, until, just as they ran out of her sight, they went silent. Kagome sped up around a bend, finding the dogs sitting at the edge of a glade, their eyes glued to the inu youkai. Rin and Sesshomaru stood in the centre, and while Rin looked relieved to see Kagome, Sesshomaru remained expressionless.

"Explain," he commanded.

And explain they did. Everything from the moment Sesshomaru had last been in the village to the ever increasing tension brewing within it. Sesshomaru listened with a vague expression but an intense gaze. He made no comment to where he had been through all of this or why he didn't visit sooner. Their claim of Masao's contempt for all demons and his power to wipe them off the face of the mortal earth did not seem to surprise him in the least. Kagome remembered Inuyasha telling her about his resolve to find out more about the godstone which she assumed was what he'd been doing all this time, but she still resent how he had been gone for so long, if only for Rin's sake.

By the end of their explanations, Sesshomaru's gaze lifted up to the overcast sky. "And where is Inuyasha now?"

"He's with Koga and the Wolf Demon Tribe in the northern mountains," Kagome answered.

Sesshomaru nodded, lowering his gaze down to his ward. "Come along, Rin."

Rin stared back at him, confused. "Huh?"

Sesshomaru extended his hand to her, tight-lipped and stern. He wasn't leaving her in a village where she was surrounded by enemies, where he was unable to reach her.

Understanding what he meant, Rin's face dropped. Glancing back at Kagome, she sighed and took a step forward, as if to take his hand. At the last moment, however, she stopped and bowed her head, hands clasped behind her back. "I am sorry, Lord Sesshomaru, but... I wish to stay with Kagome."

Of all things, her words broke were what Sesshomaru's stoic expression. His hand dropped back to his side, his widened eyes slowly falling back into their cold stare. Rin could see right passed his attempt to cover his slip, though. She'd never turned down an offer to go with him since the day they met. It was a first he'd never expected. Sesshomaru looked back up to the sky. "Very well," he conceded.

Not sparing another moment, Sesshomaru turned on his heel and stalked to the other side of the glade. Once he was a fair distance away from Rin and Kagome, he lifted off the ground in a graceful leap. The snow disturbed by his swirling energy drifted back to the ground. Rin watched him go, a heavy feeling in her stomach. Their goodbyes had always been simple and brief, but never silent. She sighed, eyes fixed on the sky long after he'd disappeared into the clouds. "I think he's cross with me," she shrugged. "I hope my Lord isn't too upset. He does tend to hold grudges for a long time." Looking up at Kagome to see what she had to say on the matter, she was met with a gaping expression filled with awe and confusion. Rin was quick to brush it off. "Let's go home."

Kagome blinked. "Oh, uh... okay." When Rin started off down the path to the village, Kagome took a moment to recover from the shock before following after her. With the authoritative presence of the inu youkai gone, Jun and Kei were free to walk alongside them. All around them was stillness. Even in winter, the silence was ambient, but neither girl spoke until they'd left the forest. The frozen rice paddies stretched on before them like silver mirrors.

"Rin, I have to ask," Kagome finally spoke up, "why didn't you go with Sesshomaru? I didn't think you would ever turn down the chance to travel with him again," she admitted.

Rin shrugged, skipping ahead of her. "I'm not sure. Really, I didn't think about it much." It was odd, now that she really did put thought into it. All morning, she'd felt out of place from the rest of the village. She would have given anything to be able to escape, or so she thought. When it came down to it she just couldn't work up the nerve. To her, the reason was quickly obvious. "I guess I just didn't want to leave you alone," she finally answered. "I grew up with three brothers, but I've never had a sister like you before and I don't want you to be sad."

Kagome stopped. Rin always had a way of surprising her with the blunt way she spoke and her incredible ability to understand the world around her. She was observant. It shouldn't have stunned Kagome so much that she'd see the strength of their relationship first. Shaking her head with a breathless smile, she reached down to take Rin's hand as they continued along the path. "I've never had a sister before either."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

They had been stalking the deer for an hour. Neck stretched down to chew the branches off a snow-covered bush, the doe's ears didn't so much as twitched in their direction. Inuyasha crouched high up in a pine tree, watching her eat. He looked down to where Shippo was hiding behind the trunk. Holding his hand up, he waited for the perfect moment to attack and swiped his hand down through the air. Shippo leapt out from behind the tree, claws and fangs ready to strike. This was it, he was finally going to make his first hunt. Although, he had thought too soon because he landed face first in the snow where the doe had been. She had darted back into the forest before the young kitsune could even yelp.

Not far off, a loud and irritated groan pierced the silent woods. Lifting his face out of the snow, Shippo cringed as Koga came out from where he'd been watching. "Come on, kid! It was right in front of you!"

Inuyasha dropped down from the tree, landing barefoot on the ground. "This is why I told you to start with something easier. Like a rabbit," he grunted.

Shippo blanched up at him. "I can't kill a rabbit!"

"Why not? We ate rabbit all the time when we were travelling!"

"I can eat it if it’s already dead! That doesn't mean I can kill a defenceless little bunny!"

"Whatever," Koga rolled his eyes, pulling the buck and two rams he and Inuyasha had managed to hunt earlier on a thin wood frame. "This is more than enough for the time being. The others should have returned by now, we're the last hunting party out here."

Shippo looked like he wanted to argue that he still hadn't caught anything, but one look from Inuyasha instantly shut him up. There would be plenty of time to learn how to hunt through the winter. Brushing the snow off his pants, Shippo scampered behind Inuyasha and Koga as they headed back to the den. He shivered as a brisk wind tore through the mountainside. Even Koga, who had was accustomed to winter weather, wore extra furs to keep him combat the cold. That was why Shippou continued to wonder, how Inuyasha hadn't so much as shivered in only his usual robes and no shoes? The question had been haunting him all season; however, with the tense atmosphere's silence thickening, Shippo figured it wasn't a priority. Trailing along, he knew it was only a matter of time before the older demons' argument from earlier started up again.

"So, as I was saying—"

"No way in fucking hell."

Shippo heaved a sigh, but didn't try to intervene. Inuyasha and Koga could never be together long without a few shouting matches. It was the same debate they'd been throwing back and forth since they left hunting earlier that morning, and it was almost dusk. On and off, all day with only breaks to catch prey. He knew not to get in the middle of it, especially because Inuyasha looked like he was trying _very_ hard not to rip Koga's throat out.

Koga only glared back. "Look, this is the best chance we have at fighting back."

"I'm not letting you risk the lives of hundreds of demons and humans based on a rumour," Inuyasha snarled.

Koga stopped, dropping the rope tied to the sled. "I don't remember asking for your permission."

Inuyasha froze in place, turning to face Koga with a low growl. From where he was trailing back, Shippo scampered behind Inuyasha, not wanting to get in the middle of a potential bloodbath. Inuyasha let the boy cower behind him, his focus solely on the wolf prince in front of him. "Then why do you keep pushing it? If you're not asking me for permission, why the fuck are you trying to convince me, Koga?"

Surprisingly, Koga took a moment to think about his response. "I hate to say it, but you're the only one who even remotely knows shit about Masao and the Godstone."

"So, you're saying your entire damn war needs me."

The wolf demon clenched his fists. "Like hell we need you! All I'm saying is that you need to pick your fucking side already! If you're with the demons, you fight with us. If not, get lost!"

"That's bullshit, and you know it," Inuyasha spat. "You're right about one thing though. I am the only one who knows anything about Masao and the Godstone. That's why you need to listen to me! We don't know how to fight back against the Godstone yet, and until we do, we're dead. If you attack his men now, you'll get yourself and all of your allies slaughtered!"

A moment of silence passed between the two, although the icicles on the trees rattled. "What happened to you?" Koga finally asked, staring at his reluctant comrade in confusion and betrayal. "The Inuyasha I know would never back down from a fight like this. What the fuck happened?"

"I grew up, Koga," Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Maybe you should try it." With those last, piercing words, Inuyasha turned sharply and began heading back to the Den, Shippo following hot on his heels. Koga's words about backing down stung, but he would die before he showed that. He had to remind himself that he wasn't backing down. He wasn't giving up. What really got to him, though, was his insistence that he pick a side; a sentiment that all of Koga's allies supported.

Suddenly, a blinding orb of light crashed into the ground in a cloud of snow and ice. Inuyasha couldn't see, couldn't move, didn't have the time to react before a fist slammed into his jaw and sent him flying back against a tree. The trunk gave a thunderous crack as it split. Through Shippo's scream and Koga's shout, Inuyasha only managed to stand up before the figure grabbed him by the neck and threw him back against the next tree. The splintered back couldn't pierce his back but his spine flared up from the force of the blow. When the snow settled, Sesshomaru glared at him in venomous rage. Inuyasha clawed at his wrist. "Sesshomaru, what the fu—"

"You left Rin in that village," his elder brother snarled, grip tightening around his neck. "You left her there unprotected, surrounded by enemies!"

Well, Inuyasha couldn't say his anger was unwarranted, but that didn't mean he was going to take this. Lashing out with his feet, he caught Sesshomaru in the chest, putting him off guard enough to punch him in the temple and free himself from his grasp. Landing on the ground, he straightened up to face his half brother, ready for another brawl should it come to that. "You can be pissed all you want Sesshomaru, but don't think for a second that I wanted to leave Rin _or_ Kagome back there! You don't know shit about what happened!" Still reeling from Sesshomaru's unexpected appearance, he barely wondered how he found out.

"Enough!" Sesshomaru roared, stepping forward with a threatening stance. "Your stupidity and weakness will not continue any longer. I will not have you disgrace us again. Come with me."

Inuyasha was really struggling to keep up now, his stance drained of energy. "What are you talking about?"  
  
It was all happening so fast. The sides, the loud entrance, this whole "I'm not going to have you disgrace the family" line—Inuyasha glared openly at Sesshomaru, whose unhelpful gaze was stuck to him. The air around him began to spin in a whirlwind, encompassing the entire forest in a storm of ice and snow. Shippo ran toward Inuyasha and latched onto his hakama while Koga planted his stance firmly on the ground as the earth started to shake—or, rather, change. The snow beneath their feet was suddenly replaced with icy fur as they lifted higher and higher up over the forest. Plains, valleys, and mountains stretched on below them, covered in a thick white blanket. A howl shook the rock faces of the cliffs. Before any of them had realized, an enormous silver dog was carrying them into the clouds.


	25. Chapter 25

At some point on the unexpected trip, Inuyasha told Shippo that if he didn't stop screaming, he'd throw him off. The kid seemed to have forgotten that he could fucking fly. Any argument about how flying on his own was a lot different than being kidnapped by a gigantic hound were promptly shut up by a single glare. Shippo had run over to Koga after that. He'd rather be with the Wolf Prince at that point, with the venomous aura the hanyou gave off.

Inuyasha's unease was electric. Once they'd taken to the sky, he didn't protest, he didn't take out his sword and threaten his brother into bringing them back. Somehow, he knew where they were going. He walked to the base of his neck, sat cross-legged, and crossed his arms. His gaze remained steadfast. He didn't say another word, aside from threatening the young fox demon.

The clouds began to swirl in a silver vortex around them. Inuyasha did not budge. He had never been here before, had never even imagined what it looked like. Still, somehow, none of it seemed to faze him. He'd never let himself wonder what this place must look like, and he wasn't going to let himself be surprised now that he was actually there. As Sesshomaru's dog form descended, the vortex dissipated, and the gleaming walls of a castle nearly blinded them. The massive fortress was shrouded in a shimmering white mist, so thick it was difficult to say if it was sitting high up on a mountain or on the clouds themselves. In a burst of light, Sesshomaru's demon form vanished, leaving his unwilling companions to fall. Inuyasha flipped at the last moment, landing steadily on a crouch, while Shippo latched onto him. Koga fell flat on his ass, and if it weren't for the situation, Inuyasha wouldn't have hesitated to give him hell about it.

Sesshomaru's descent was more graceful, obviously familiar with the courtyard at the steps of the castle as he landed before a plush red throne. Taking the lower steps down, Sesshomaru grabbed his younger brother by the back of his haori and dragged him up to the throne.

Inuyasha stumbled to catch himself on his hands and needs at the top of the steps, turning his glare from his brother to the woman sitting on the plush red throne. His lips curled in a snarl. “Who the hell are you?”

The woman clicked her tongue, his frustration amusing. “I am Shimonami, Lady of the Inu Youkai.”

Inuyasha’s eyes narrowed. “And what does that mean to me?”

He expected her to react in rage. However, the woman only gazed down at him as if examining a curious child before her attention flickered up to Sesshomaru. “He doesn’t look much like your father,” she commented. “Are you sure this is him?”

“Mother,” Sesshomaru hissed. 

Inuyasha’s eyes widened. Sesshomaru’s mother? In his entire life, he never thought he’d ever meet this woman. Not that it was something he had wished for, or had ever been curious about. It was just an impossibility. Still, there she was, and he realized what he was to her. His chest tightened, but he kept his glare steady and defiant.

Suddenly a recognition came over the woman’s face. “Ah,” she nodded, “there he is.” She stood, and the entire court, the massive crowd watching from the wings of the couryard, stood up a little straighter. She carried herself with a sort of ancient indifference. Stopping in front of him, she clasped her hands in front of her, fur lines robe seemed to float around her. “Stand, Inuyasha.”

Casting a wary glance to Sesshomaru, Inuyasha sensed no consequence, and reluctantly obeyed, only out of the bitterness of being forced to bow in the first place.

A thick silence fell over the court, every whisper hushed by a glare from their absent Lord. Finally, Lady Shimonami spoke. “Well,” she began, eyebrows raised and lips pursed, “do you not have any questions?”

Inuyasha frowned, taken aback by her abruptness. “I-I...uh...” It wasn’t often that he was rendered speechless.

“Do not stutter, young man,” Shimonami clicked her tongue. “Speak your mind, and be done with it.”

He clenched his fists. “Alright. Fine. Why the hell am I here?”

A brief annoyance passed over her face. “Sesshomaru, you told him nothing?” When her son’s eyes only narrowed, she huffed in offence and turned back Inuyasha. “Pride. It has always been a rampant problem amoung our kind. I am afraid even I am not immune to it,” she remarked offhandedly. “You are here, Inuyasha, because it is your time.”

Inuyasha stared blankly back at her. “Not following.”

Obviously, Lady Shimonami was not used to having to explain this. She sighed, turning back to her throne. “When Inu Youkai of royal blood reach a certain point in our lives, we are given a challenge to prove ourselves worthy of our ancient power. It is how we receive our true forms,” she explained with a dismissive flourish of her hand. “You are here, because it is your time to accept that trial. Of course, it’s all ceremonial. As a hanyou, you could never handle the power, as I am sure you know well. Nevertheless,” she turned, her robes swaying with the movement, “I insist that you accept.”

Inuyasha didn’t know where to begin. He listened to the woman speak, but could not absorb the words directed at him. This must have been a cruel trick, a dream or better yet a nightmare. “Inu Youkai?” he began slowly, “Royal blood?” He turned to look back at Sesshomaru, expecting him to start tearing the castle down beam by beam. Instead, he found a cold but accepting stare. “You’re fucking kidding, right?”

Shimonami frowned. “Watch your language.”

“Bullshit!” Inuyasha pressed on, much to the scandal of the crowd. “Even if I believed half the shit you’re saying, why would I ever accept this? As if any of you ever accepted me!” he roared.

Shimonami’s eyes widened in surprise only, intrigued by the young man’s furious shouting. Humans had always been interesting little playthings to her, and this arrogant fit was obviously one of his mortal traits. “Oh, you are very cross about all this, aren’t you?” she tutted. “Very well. If you accept the trial, I suppose I could indulge you in some answers to your ancestry. How about that?”

“I don’t give a damn about my ancestry,” Inuyasha spat. “I know who I am, and I don’t have time for this. In case you haven’t noticed, the country is going to shit.”

“There’s a war starting,” Koga spoke up for the first time, taking a few bold steps toward the throne.

“No, there isn’t,” Inuyasha snapped at him.

Koga ignored him and pressed on. “The threat against demons is greater than ever.”

Lady Shimonami tilted her head. “You are Koga, yes? The leader of the Wolf Tribes? I haven’t seen much of the Wolf youkai in a century. Tell me, do you still live in caves?”

Koga stopped, not sure if he should be offended or not. “Look,” he cleared his throat, “this war could determine the future of all youkai. The humans are getting too cocky-”

“Crude,” Shimonami interrupted in disdain.

“Arrogant,” Koga begrudgingly corrected himself. “They are threatening to purge us, and they have the power to do it. If we don’t stop them now, things could get messy.”

The Inuyoukai shrugged, her tone bored. “And? It is no threat to us. We’ve never had much to do with the humans, unless you count our late Lord and General, but,” she looked to Inuyasha with a knowing smirk, “you know that.”

“You’re not above this,” Koga growled. “You’re not untouchable just because you live on a fucking cloud. This is your problem just as much as it is ours.”

Inuyasha took one look at Lady Shimonami and knew that she did not believe a word of what Koga was saying. Whether it was that inherent pride, or plain disinterest, she didn’t seem to care. However, the moment she looked at him again, he knew she had something else in mind.

“Very well,” she proclaimed, “the Inuyoukai will ally themselves with you on one condition; that Inuyasha completes his trial.”

“Hold on!” Inuyasha shouted before this could go any further. “I want nothing to do with his war, and I want nothing to do with the Inuyoukai. Why should I go through with this?”

Lady Shimonami laughed. “Because the trial could very well give you the key to your problem.”

Inuyasha stopped, paused for a beat of dead silence. “You have my attention.”

The look in her eyes told him she believed she had him hooked. Inuyasha wasn’t so sure, but if what she said was true, he was more than willing to listen. Lady Shimonami turned to the servants behind her. “Prepare rooms for ours guests.” With their bows, the servants left, and Lady Shimonami looked down at the guests themselves. “Oh! A little kitsune? I didn’t see you there, boy. Speak up, what is your name?”

Shippo, who’d been sitting dazed and terrified on the ground, flinched back when she called to him. “Uh.. my name’s Shippo, ma’am.”

Lady Shimonami examined him fondly for a moment before turning to her son. “He reminds me, Sesshomaru, where is your human girl? You didn’t bring her this time?” When Sesshomaru shook his head, she sighed in disappointment. “Oh, you are trying to break your mother’s heart. I had a new kimono for her, too. I adore spoiling her.” As if remembering what she’d been thinking about before, she looked back to Inuyasha. “Follow.”

Casting a glance to Shippo in a silent reassurance that he didn’t have to worry, Inuyasha grumbled under his breath and obeyed. He followed Lady Shimonami up the steps to the pinnacle rooms of the castle, the highest tier. There, she closed the door behind him and guided Inuyasha to a room overlooking the rest of the castle. She offered him no tea, and no warmth. She understood that he didn’t need any. Walking to the edge of the porch outside, she stood at the railing, head high and posture straight. Inuyasha casually leaned his forearms on the rail. She didn’t correct him. “You have questions.”

“Damn right I do,” Inuyasha grunted, still trying to sort them all out himself. He took a deep breath, letting the frozen wind blow over his face before finally speaking. “What am I really doing here? I’m not an Inuyoukai, I’ve been reminded of that all my life. Why the hell do you want me to go through this trial so badly?”

“I don’t,” Shimonami replied bluntly. “Or at the very least, I’m indifferent to it.” Sensing Inuyasha’s confusion, she continued. “However, I recognize that you have made quite a name for yourself. You’ve mastered my late husband’s sword, and made it your own. It was always your father’s wish that you go through this trial, whether he said it aloud or not, I knew. It takes nothing away from me to fulfill that wish.”

Inuyasha cocked his head to the side. “I would have thought... well, that you despised me. I’m your husband’s illegitimate son,” he pointed out, keeping his tone gruff just to be sure she knew that he didn’t care what she thought. He realized too late he might have been trying too hard.

Lady Shimonami only laughed. “Not at all. The relationship between Toga and I was entirely political,” she paused watching as Inuyasha’s eyes widened at the name, an unreadable expression flashing over his face. “We both understood this. Of course, we got along perfectly well. He was a good father, or at least he tried to be. However, there was no love. I had never really cared for romance or intimacy. Toga’s relationship with Izayoi was of no consequence to me.” 

Inuyasha frowned. “Then why,” he paused, bracing himself to ask the one question that had been burning at him all his life, “why did you reject us.”

Shimonami looked as if she had been expecting this question. She did hesitate however, thinking over her words carefully. “There is no place for humans here. This place and everyone in it are not part of the human world. They may survive, but they cannot really live here. And besides that,” she trailed off, eyes reflecting the snowflakes as they melted on the pillars, “I was heartbroken. Toga and I may not have been in love, but we had been through much together, and I mourned him. That is all. I could not stand to look at the human woman and child he died for. And yes, because you are half-human, the Inu Yokai consider you an outsider.”

Somehow, hearing that brought Inuyasha a peace he never thought he’d have, to a struggle he didn’t know he’d been fighting. It was simple, uncomplicated. He didn’t know what else he could have expected. Inuyasha took a deep breath, thought of his mother, and turned back to Lady Shimonami. “Okay. How is this trial supposed to help me?”

Lady Shimonami smiled to herself. “The trial will pit you against your greatest enemy. If you survive it, you will earn the power to overcome them.”

Inuyasha frowned, face twisting in uncertainty. “What, I’m just given power?” He’d done this all before. After all he’d been through, Inuyasha wasn’t above accepting help, but there was a part of him that rejected this. It couldn’t be that easy, he couldn’t complete one little test and suddenly have all his problems absolved. “Feels like cheating.”

“Oh, look at you! So noble, and so stubborn too. I really am starting to see your father in you,” Shimonami laughed. “This trial does not give you power. The Inu Yokai would be overrun with mad greed if it did. No, you will discover it on your own, with no guarantee to its success. It all depends on how you chose to use it. I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you, though. I do have to keep _some_ secrets.”

Taking a deep breath, Inuyasha dipped his head and ran his fingers back through his hair. It wasn’t too late. He could back out of this if he wanted, forget he’d ever been there. He could also return to hiding in mountains and scraping by for any solution to this monumental shit storm. Lady Shimonami had said that Pride was a rampant problem in the Inu Yokai. Well, he just couldn’t prove her right. “Alright. I’ll do it.”

Shimonami nodded, her chin high and shoulders straight as she addressed Inuyasha. “Good. You will embark in the morning. You have free roam of the castle and compound in the meantime.”

Inuyasha was left alone to lean against the rails, gazing out over the blank whiteness and the compound below. Was it horrible that he felt an odd sense of calm here? Was he betraying his mother by feeling that the emptiness of the clouds misting into the sky, the freezing cold and snow, put him at ease in the very place they’d been rejected from? He knew next to nothing about the Inu Yokai. For most of his life, he just understood them as something he was not. Not a demon, not a human, not either. He’d made his own place in the world. Inuyasha only knew, for sure, one thing; he loved the snow. He didn’t feel cold like his friends did, as Shippo often complained. And with his white hair blown into the empty white beyond, he hated to admit that he understood something more about himself by coming here. Inuyasha pushed away from the rail after a while. This contemplation was only going to give him a headache.

Taking Lady Shimonami’s word, Inuyasha descended from the top tier of the castle to wander aimlessly around the compound, idly hoping to find Shippo, or even Koga or Sesshomaru. Everything in the town surrounding the castle shimmered, coated in an ethereal glow. Icicles hung from the roofs of every home, a frozen river dancing through the streets and under bridges. Inuyasha wondered in passing if it ever thawed, if spring existed in this place. He wondered if Kagome would be enchanted here.

It was as he was glancing down at the ice that he felt two small bodies collide with his legs. He stumbled back, about to tell the little runts to watch it when he found a red fox and white dog recovering from the crash. It only took him a moment for him to realize who it was. “Watch where you’re going, runt,” he rolled his eyes as the fox disappeared in a puff of smoke. Shippo stood out from the silver town and its people like a flame.

“Sorry!” Shippo grimaced. “We were just playing! This is Atsuko.”

The dog shook, until a swirling light engulfed it, revealing in a flash a young girl. She stared up at him with juniper green eyes through a fringe of silver hair. “Are you Inuyasha?”

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s it to you, kid?”

“Mama says you’re Lord Sesshomaru’s brother. Is it true that you’re half-human?” Atsuko asked as she picked herself up. “Mama says you’re half-human,” her tone suggested that she wasn’t sure if it was a bad thing.

Inuyasha could only imagine what her mother thought. “Your mother’s right,” he replied.

“Oh,” Atsuko tilted her head, learned disapproval pulling her brows together.

“He is!” Shippo exclaimed. “And that’s why he can use the tessaiga, so he’s really strong and powerful, even if he can be a jackass sometimes.”

Atsuko’s face lit up. “You use the tessaiga? Like Lord Toga’s sword?”

“Uh... yeah,” Inuyasha pulled the tessaiga from its sheath. The fang transformed in a shimmering light he only just realized looked oddly like snow.

“Whoa!” Atsuko squealed. In her excitement, she reached out to touch the blade, only to yelp when it rejected her. “Why can’t I touch it?”

“You have to be human, or part human, or just protective of humans to be able to touch it,” Shippo explained before Inuyasha could get a word out. To his amusement, he seemed oddly out of the conversation. “That’s why sometimes I can touch it, but I can’t actually use it.”

Atsuko made a disgusted face. “Ew, humans? Daddy says that humans are arrogant and greedy.”

“Nu-uh! Not all humans are like that! Kagome, and Sango aren’t arrogant and greedy, and Miroku can be greedy, but he’s not arrogant,” Shippo argued.

Deeply engaged in their debate, Shippo and Atsuko ran off again, leaving Inuyasha to struggle whether he wanted to be offended or amused that demons spoke about humans the same way humans spoke about demons.

Given the crumbling world below, he decided on the former.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Inuyasha seemed caught up in a whirlwind. For the remainder of the day, he’d wandered place to place in the compound. It had been difficult not to wonder how different his life would have been if he’d been allowed to grow up here. In the end, he’d realized it wouldn’t have been different at all.

By the time dinner came around, he was quiet. A servant from the castle had been sent to bring him back to dine with the nobility at Shimonami’s ‘behest.’ He got the feeling that she saw him as a novelty. When he arrived, everyone was already seated, and an empty tray had been placed between Koga and Sesshomaru. Shippo was stuck on the other side of the room. He caught the kitsune’s abandoned glare as he took his seat, sending the kid a smirk just to get on his nerves.

“So, Inuyasha,” Shimonami began, several minutes into the otherwise silent meal. “The little kitsune tells me that you are in love with a human.”

“My name is Shippo,” the boy pouted.

Shimonami waved him off. “Tell me, is that true?”

Inuyasha struggled not to glare, a heated protectiveness burning in his chest at the reminder of Kagome. Sesshomaru looked down at him with a blank stare, but a raised brow. He recalled the last time they had met in the summer, when his brother had warned him about Kagome’s mortality. Finally, he responded to the Lady. “It is.”

Shimonami burst into chiming laughter as the other nobility in the room whispered in scandal. “Oh you _are_ Toga’s son, aren’t you? Entertaining ridiculous fantasies.”

“What the fuck is so ridiculous?” Inuyasha growled.

Shimonami arched a sharp brow at his tone. “You must know from personal experience how such relationships end. It is inevitable. Her life will fade in the blink of an eye for you. You will watch her die, you will mourn, and then you will probably fall in love with another human and start the cycle anew,” she raised a finger to her chin in thought. “I do recall hearing a rumour fifty years ago that you were pinned to a tree in an eternal sleep, because you’d fallen in love with another human. Now, tell me you don’t see a pattern.”

Inuyasha’s tray clattered to the floor as he jumped to his feet. In the next instant, Sesshomaru had risen as well. Koga followed behind Inuyasha, leaving Shippo flinching back on the other side of the room, not sure whether he should run to his friend’s defence.

Shimonami only sighed, unimpressed with the dramatics. “For goodness sake, Sesshomaru, sit down. If he wants to throw a fit, let him.” Sesshomaru obliged after a short hesitation, snarling at his brother as he sat down again. The silence as Inuyasha remained on his feet, hands clenched at his sides, was suffocating. “Well,” Shimonami clicked her tongue, “it would seem that I touched a sensitive subject. Did I, Inuyasha?” The hanyou tensed. It was answer enough for her. “I don’t whether to scold you or pity you,” she laughed.

“Leave Kagome out of this. I’m here to complete my trial. She has nothing to do with this,” Inuyasha demanded.

“Kagome, is that her name?” Shimonami continued. “Do not get the wrong idea. From what the little fox told me, she sounds like an exceptional young woman. I understand that you are prepared to tear the entire human world apart to return to her. Very romantic. Dramatic and foolish, but that’s what romanticism is.” She laced her fingers together and rested her chin on them as she leaned forward. “But what will you do after, I wonder? Do you believe all your problems with be absolved after this war? That you can live a mundane life with her in a quaint little countryside village? The real question is, will you be happy watching her grow old and die?”

A golden flash left five gaping claw marks in the wall. Inuyasha stormed out of the room, claws tensed as he sought out the cold night to calm his burning rage.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

That morning, Inuyasha woke up on a plush futon in a warm, dry room, and his chest ached from it. He sat for a moment in silence. The room was minimal but clean, free of clutter. Snow crusted on the thin beams crossing the door, shadows falling on the floor with the muted light filtering in. All of it was just too pristine. He’d never felt more comfortable and less at home. Brushing those thoughts off, Inuyasha rolled out of bed and got dressed, preparing himself for the trial ahead of him.

In the next room, a few of the servants were setting up small trays for breakfast. Inuyasha wandered out into the hall, nearly bumping into one who glared at him and sped off again. It took a whole lot of self-control not to go and pound some manners into him, but he managed. Inuyasha pushed the next door aside to find Shippo in a burrow of sheets and pillows. Walking inside, he nudged his foot at the lump buried underneath the blankets. “Come on, shit head. Breakfast,” he grunted. The last thing he wanted to do was return to the dining room with Sesshomaru and Lady Shimonami there, after what had happened last night, but he wouldn’t let him deter him from completing this trial.

The lump only groaned in response. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. He reached down and ripped the blankets away, leaving Shippo gasping and shivering. “I-It's freezing!” the boy cried.

Inuyasha tossed the blanket aside. “It's not that cold. Come on, if you don't get your ass up now, I'll eat your breakfast for you.”

With Shippo finally cooperating, Inuyasha made his way back out into the hall. Koga's room was the next down. Before he could open the door, Shippo came scrambling out, glancing between Inuyasha and the door with stifled laughter. Inuyasha caught the mischief in his eyes. This would be good. He shrugged and stepped aside, letting Shippo have the honour. So, in perfect imitation of what had been done to him only minutes ago, Shippo waltzed up to Koga's sleeping mat and kicked him awake.

Koga's eyes opened instantly, his hand shooting out to grab Shippo by the tails and hurl him at the wall. Shippo's yelp was quickly muffled under the ruble broken wood of the room divider. Inuyasha burst into laughter amid Koga's foul cursing.

Servants flooded into the room when they heard the crash, fretting over the hole in the wall. Their reaction, however, silenced Inuyasha's laughter. They did not scold Koga for throwing the kitsune child into the wall, or Shippo for disturbing him. Instead, they turned their glares to Inuyasha, unspoken blame falling on him. Inuyasha huffed and stalked away before either Koga or Shippo could comment on it.

Breakfast was elaborate. At least for the guests. As they sat down, Lady Shimonami and a begrudging Sesshomaru joining them, the two royals were presented with elaborate meals. Sesshomaru hardly touched his, sending glares to his mother at every indulgent comment. Inuyasha had to keep himself from snickering. Obviously, he still wasn’t happy about visiting home. Shippo and Koga’s meals weren’t as luxurious, but certainly, more than they’d eaten in a meal since winter had started. Inuyasha was given rice, one strip of fish, and a sneer from the Inu Yokai that brought it to him. The message was clear. Accepting the trial did not make him welcome there. He brushed it off by snatching half of Koga’s food.

The time for the trial came. Lady Shimonami led them down through the castle and out into a vast space at the foot of the compound. Inuyasha had almost been hesitant to step off the edge from the wood to the white mist, instinct telling him he’d fall right through the cloud. When he pushed himself forward, he could not say what force held him up, but it did, so he didn’t ask any questions. The same crowd from yesterday gathered along the compound walls, sitting on the rooftops of their homes peaking over the edge. All looked on, scandalous whispers and harsh words melting into one blank noise.

Lady Shimonami stopped ahead of them and raised her hand with a graceful flick. Out of the mist, a great stone archway rose up, the world beyond it distorted in a swirling vortex. She turned to Inuyasha and his companions with a smile. “And so begins your trial, Inuyasha. As Sesshomaru has already gone through his trial, he will be your guide. Your friends may accompany you, but when the trial begins, they will not be able to help you.”

Inuyasha shrugged, looking back over his shoulder at Koga and Shippo. “Do what you want, I don’t care.”

“No way I’m missing the chance to see you get your ass handed to you,” Koga smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Shippo took one glance at the leering Inu Yokai and decided against staying behind, scurrying to Inuyasha’s side. With that settled, Inuyasha advanced toward Sesshomaru.

There was a single moment, a quiet standoff, when Inuyasha thought Sesshomaru would refuse to let him pass. As the two brothers stared back at each other, golden irises mirroring, the crowd held a collective breath. Sesshomaru scoffed and turned on his heel. “Follow.” Ignoring the urge to refuse in spite, Inuyasha obeyed, Koga and Shippo following close behind.

As they stepped through the vortex, the world dissolved behind them, and Shippo turned just in time to see the image of the castle and the crowd fading into the silver mass. He found himself for a moment entranced by it, until a massive shadow descended above him. Inuyasha’s body slammed into his, tucked around him as they rolled into the snow. A monstrous growl made his heart tremble. Before he could get a good look at the beast, Inuyasha’s claws swiped through it in streaks of gold. It dissipated into the air without a trace. Ahead of them, Koga’s heel slammed into the muzzle of a shadow dog, and it disappeared in the same way, bursting from invisible seams. Countless more flew toward them in attack.

Honestly, Inuyasha didn’t know that the hell he’d expected.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

“This village is the last between my men and the mountains claimed by the wolf youkai,” Masao pointed to the map, a farming community at the base of the northern mountain range. “My plan is to set up a Fortress on the outskirts, so we can move into the mountains well supplied.” The young man sitting on the other side of the table couldn’t have been any older than fifteen. Just beginning to shed his boyish features, he still held onto a lanky build. It was his eyes, however, that resolved Masao to take him on. This young man had seen death and horror on scales most children couldn’t comprehend, even in this war-torn era.

“And what is it exactly that you want me to do?” he asked.

“There have been rumours spreading that they are not willing to assimilate to my empire without resistance,” Masao explained with a weary sigh. “Strategically, you can see why I cannot ignore this. Even more troublesome is the fact that the Wolf demons seem to have learned of our intentions. There have been reports of demons gathering in their territory. We can only assume they mean to fight back. If this comes down to a battle, what I want you to do is pick out their leaders and take them out. You have a very reputable name, I want you on my side.” The young man did not confirm, nor deny. Masao laughed at his modesty before reaching into a basin of hot burning coals and plucking out a Godstone. “Take this. You will be paid graciously, but consider this a gift.”

The young man took the crystal hesitantly, expecting it to burn. His eyes widened in mild surprise when it rested cool in his palm. “Thank you for your generosity. I accept your offer,” he said with a low bowl.

“Excellent!” Masao himself seemed almost boyish in his enthusiasm. “One of my men will give you directions to where the army is camped, so that you may join them before the-” attack nearly slipped off his tongue, “persuasion of the village.” Calling in a Samurai from outside the room, they went about discussing payment, bidding each other farewell and good luck before the young man was dismissed. As he left the room, Masao picked up a file and a crystal, whose edged had been rounded, and began to carve.

When he was far enough away from the castle that he could finally shake the sickening aura emitting from Masao, the Kohaku pulled the Godstone out of his sash. Turning it over in his hands, he pushed his way through thick bushes up the incline of the valley. Ever since Masao and this Godstone appeared almost a year ago, his job had become increasingly difficult. Slaying demons was his job. While he had been glad at first that there was a way ordinary people could protect themselves, the darker truth behind it made him anxious. Not many people wanted anything to do with a demon slayer whose only companion was a demon

There was an abandoned shack hidden in the barren forest. It had been the perfect hiding spot for his demon companion, but an absolute pain to get to. Once he made it inside, the warmth of the fire washed over him. Kirara was curled up next to the fire pit in her beast form, pawing at a little spinning top; probably left behind by the previous inhabitant. Kohaku sighed, flopping back against the cat. Kirara wrapped around him, draping a tail over his lap. She sniffed at the Godstone in Kohaku’s hand, recoiling with a huff. Kohaku reached back to idly scratch under her chin. “I don’t know what we’re getting ourselves into here,” he admitted. “But I guess we should find out.”


	26. Chapter 26

They came in hoards. Inuyasha dove out of the way of one wild beast, tensing his claws as he rolled to his feet. Following through the motion, he took three more out in a single golden flash. The dogs were grotesque, shrouded in black, with the bulk and power of oxen. As soon as Inuyasha destroyed ten, twenty more materialized. Ahead, Koga jumped onto the back of a beast. He slashed through its neck with the goraishi clasped to his hand. Sesshomaru struck out with precision, poison claws creating a swirling whip around him.

There was no time for distraction. Inuyasha barely managed to duck under a snarling maw, bracing himself on his hands to roll backwards. He sprang up again, his claws tearing into the monster in one swipe. Another shadow dog managed to fly past him. Inuyasha spun around—heart in his throat—to find Shippo fending off the dogs with bursts of blue flames. Shippo’d honed his skill with the kitsunebi over the years, Inuyasha could tell immediately. The erratic flickers had given way to controlled blasts and streams that shot from the boy’s palms with ease. Still, Shippo had a long way to go; he was too focused on attack and not on defence. Inuyasha intercepted a hound moments before it pounced on Shippo’s back.

As he watched the demons dissipate into thin air after each slash, Inuyasha couldn’t help but wonder if these shadow dogs were just that: shadows. He hadn’t actually felt their claws or fangs, evading them too quickly. Inuyasha rose to his feet then, facing one of the shadows head-on. He braced himself to feel nothing.

Before he could regret his decision, he was thrown back, twisting landing face first in the snow. Koga appeared above him as he turned over, slashing through his attacker. “Moron! What the hell are you doing?”

Inuyasha snarled up at him, shoving the wolf prince out of the way as the dogs kept coming. Finally, he’d had enough. Rising up, Inuyasha drew the tessaiga, and with a roar, summoned the wind scar. The mass of hounds were cut down, and their howls echoed as they vanished. It was only after they were destroyed that Inuyasha realized they were turning into snow. He reached a hand out to catch the flakes as they drifted downward, melting on his skin.

“Alright, what the _fuck_ were those?” Koga growled. He turned on Sesshomaru, fully expecting answers.

All he got was a cold shoulder. Sesshomaru walked onward as if Koga hadn't spoken at all, without another look or acknowledgment and while Koga continued to shout after him, Sesshomaru continued to ignore him. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword, pausing only to make sure Shippo was nearby and on his feet. The two of them followed silently. Inuyasha hadn't expected any explanations from Sesshomaru, anyway. Not that he believed it was solely because of the secrecy of the trial, Sesshomaru was just a dick. Koga begrudgingly followed a few paces behind the rest of the group, once it was clear that he would get no response Frost crept up the goraishi claws on his hand, but he kept it clasped onto his wrist. His instincts could not be fooled. They were headed into dangerous territory.

The white tundra spread on as far as the eye could see. No mountain, no hill, not even a single bush tainted the pure landscape. Their footprints were solitary, carving out a singular track. Every once in a while, Sesshomaru would hault and lift his head to the sky, indistinguishable from the barren plain, and just stare. Inuyasha would stop to watch him, trying to hone in on whatever sense he was using to guide them, but before he could grasp it, Sesshomaru would abruptly snap out of it and continue on in a different direction. The wind whipped the snow into their faces from every angle. The dull gleam behind the solid clouds was piercing. Inuyasha wasn’t sure if the sun existed in this place.

Shippo, having gotten bored of all the walking, transformed into his fox form and began leaping into the snow ahead of everyone else. Watching him out of the corner of his eye, Inuyasha fell into step beside Sesshomaru. “So,” he began, “what exactly were those dogs back there?” Sesshomaru offered no reply. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m not trying to make small talk, I just—”

“Those hounds were failures,” Sesshomaru cut him off. “Noblemen and royalty of the Inu Yokai, our ancestors, who failed their trials. Rather than return and disgrace our kind, they are banished here. If you fail your trial, you will share the same pitiful fate.”

Inuyasha peered up at his brother under a heavy brow. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Again, Sesshomaru did not respond. “Obviously you didn’t fail it. It can't be that hard if you passed," Inuyasha scoffed. "When did you take the trial, anyway?”

“Over a century ago,” Sesshomaru answered. “The trial is meant to grant the victor their true form, Inuyasha. You, however, are half-mortal and do not possess the ability to transform.”

“So, you’re saying you have no idea how this is gonna turn out. Great. Sounds exciting,” Inuyasha grunted. “Your mother said I'd be pitted against my greatest enemy. Who was yours?”

“That is none of your concern.”

“Then what power did you earn when you beat it?”

“None of your concern,” Sesshomaru repeated. Although his stone demeanour was unchanged, the irritation was clear in his voice. Whether he realized it or not, he clasped the tensaiga hanging from his sash. Inuyasha didn’t miss it.

“Fine. One last thing,” Inuyasha pushed on with a smirk. “Are you aware that you just had a full, civilized conversation with me without keeling over on the spot?”

Sesshomaru’s eyes snapped down at Inuyasha in a venomous glare. For a moment, Inuyasha thought he might actually kill him, but his smirk never dropped. After what seemed like a moment of tremendous self-restraint, Sesshomaru stalked ahead. Inuyasha watched him, hanging back a few paces to put some distance between them. He couldn’t get his mind off of the fact that Sesshomaru had acknowledged, in so few words, that they were his ancestors too. It was just a slip of the tongue most likely, but then again Sesshomaru had always been one to chose his words (or lack thereof) carefully. There was no use losing his mind over it, though. Inuyasha pushed the thought to the back of his mind, and watched as Koga fell victim to his own boredom. The wolf demon crept up on the little tuft of red fur prancing around in the snow. Shippo was crouched, preparing to leap, when Koga let out a loud shout. It startled Shippo so badly that he burst back into his true form. Koga walked on, his obnoxious laughter unaffected by the kitsune’s glare.

“Learn to watch your back, Shippo,” Inuyasha commented. “You have to constantly be on your guard and watching your peripherals. Not all opponents will attack you head on. The cowards are the ones fighting dirty, and sometimes they’re the most dangerous.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it!” Shippo rolled his eyes. “So I forgot to watch my back one time, big deal.”

Inuyasha glared down at the boy. “One time is all it takes.”

Shippo kicked his foot through the snow, shoving his hands under his vest for warmth. “But did you see me take out those other hounds back there? I had them! None of them could get through my foxfire,” he boasted.

“I saw,” Inuyasha nodded slowly. “I also saw you being a little show off and wasting energy throwing fire around.”

“Like you’re one to talk!”

“Watch it,” Inuyasha growled in warning. “Look, you did good. I’ll give you that, but you still need work. Conserve your power, and don’t leave your back unguarded.”

Shippo rolled his eyes again, mocking Inuyasha under his breath. Finally, Inuyasha decided that he had enough of the little shit's attitude. As Shippo continued to walk on, Sesshomaru and Koga just up ahead of him, he failed to notice Inuyasha falling behind a few paces. But, the moment he noticed, it was too late. An open-palmed swipe at the back of his head had him crying out in annoyance more than pain. He turned around, sucking in a shout to scold Inuyasha with, only to find the space behind him empty. Another palm smacked the back of his head. Shippo spun around. “Inuyasha, cut it out!”

“I told you not to leave your back unguarded!” Inuyasha taunted from behind.

Shippo stumbled around in every direction, catching only flashes of red fabric in the corners of his eyes. It moved too fast for him to keep up with, and seconds later, Inuyasha swept out his legs, sending Shippo face-first into the snow. Even as he scrambled up again, he couldn’t catch sight of the hanyou tormenting him. “No fair!” Shippo cried. “How am I supposed to guard my back? We’re on an open plain! There’s nowhere for me to stand against!”

“I never said corner yourself! Stand your ground, anticipate what your opponent is going to do. Otherwise,” Inuyasha tugged on the kitsune’s hair ribbon then leapt away, “you’re dead meat!”

Shippo stilled, fists clenched. Stand his ground, he could do that. He tried to sense where Inuyasha was, to anticipate what he was going to do. The moment he heard a movement behind him, Shippo whipped around, foxfire blazing from his palms. The flames collided with the snout of a shadow hound, its open jaw only an arm's length from his face. Shippo yelped, his fire bursting out to push the creature away.

“Shit!” Inuyasha cursed at his side and lept forward. In a flash of gold, the tessaiga transformed in his hands and cut down the first wave of another hoard. The battle began anew. Inuyasha glided between opponents, the sword an extension of his body as he slashed his way through the hounds. Shippo found himself stunned for a moment, but forced himself to push on, turning Inuyasha's advice into a mantra. He couldn’t let his guard down. Hell, he’d keep it up just out of spite, at this point. With screeching howls, the dogs were cut down. Inuyasha sheathed his sword once the last beast became snow. He walked back toward Shippo, and the boy glared up at him. He couldn’t help it; Inuyasha burst into laughter, clapping Shippo on the shoulder. “Well, at least you were ready,” he snickered.

Shippo shot a blast of fire at Inuyasha’s foot, sending the hanyou stumbling backwards. Apparently, he didn’t find it funny.

Sesshomaru cleared his throat, smothering the green energy sparking around the bakusaiga as he sheathed it. “If you could take this seriously,” he said.

Now it was Inuyasha’s turn to roll his eyes.

“This isn’t the most welcoming place, huh?” Koga commented, flexing his armour-clad hand. He swept his gaze around the area to make sure they wouldn’t be attacked before falling into step with Inuyasha. “Kind of familiar, to be honest.”

“What are you going on about?” Inuyasha asked.

Koga shrugged. “When I obtained the goraishi, I had to undergo a test like this. I had to travel to the grave of my ancestors and battle a guardian to be deemed worthy enough to use it. I’m guessing you’ll have to do something similar to get whatever it is you’re here for.”

“Do not compare that simple trick to the Inu Yokai’s trial.” Sesshomaru’s voice cut through the howling wind. He did not turn to face them as he spoke, his shoulders squared on his invisible path. “This is more than a trap to stop foolish thieves. This trial is a rite of passage and is sacred to our kind. You would do well to remember that, wolf.”

“Just saying,” Koga huffed, eyes tracing the intricate patterns etched into his golden claws. “It’s a little similar. The unfriendly guards, the goal at the end. What is this place anyway, the Inu Yokai’s burial ground?”

Inuyasha shook his head. “No, I’ve been there, it looked nothing like this. We’re—uh, they’re buried in the borderland between the worlds of the living and the dead.”

“Fools,” Sesshomaru scoffed. “This is not a burial ground, nor is it the world between the living and the dead. This is the Spirit Realm.”

Koga’s eyes widened at the clarification, but very quickly, a cocky grin pulled at this mouth. “Well, I guess that’s convenient.”

Inuyasha frowned. “What do you mean?

“If you fail your trial and get your ass killed, at least you don’t have very far to go.”

“You wanna say that again?!” Inuyasha bellowed. He sliced his claws at Koga only for the wolf demon to flip out of the way.

Shippo heaved a sigh, his breath rolling off of his lips in the thick fog. “Sesshomaru,” he addressed the man timidly. “Are we there yet? The snow’s getting thicker, and I can hardly see three feet in front of me.”

Sesshomaru abruptly stopped. Shippo opened his mouth to ask why, but one sharp look silenced him. Ahead, he watched Inuyasha and Koga spar. They hurled insults at one another as they evaded their attacks. Their images flickered in the blinding snow, building up until they’d all but disappeared from sight. Shippo groaned, muttering under his breath about how Inuyasha couldn’t go five minutes without picking a fight with someone. If he kept this up, it was going to be a long journey. Shippo had been moments away from calling out to them that they should both grow up, but the wind picked up in a squall. Shippo braced himself, lifting an arm to shield himself from the blizzard. But just as soon as the wind came, it stopped. Each snowflake hung in mid-air, drifting tranquilly down in the aftermath.

Koga stood alone.

Inuyasha had disappeared.

Shippo sprinted forward. “Inuyasha? Inuyasha! This isn’t funny! Where'd you go? Inuyasha!” he called out, turning in all directions.

“We cannot reach him any longer,” Sesshomaru interrupted. “His trial has begun.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Inuyasha rolled to the ground, landing on his haunches, prepared to block a hit from Koga. Nothing came. A solid wall of snow blew him down. Raising his sleeve against the wind, Inuyasha jumped to his feet and found himself entirely alone. A lump of fear rose in his throat. Before he could call out to any of them, Lady Shimonami’s voice echoed in his mind. “ _... When the trial begins, they will not be able to help you.”_ It looked like he was on his own now. Inuyasha straightened up, shaking the snow from his hair as he turned to the open landscape.

A crimson blur growled in his ear, and before he could move, it sliced a deep cut through his arm. Inuyasha yelped and fell to his knees, clutching the wound without a chance to recover before the same creature landed a punch to his jaw. He skidded back through the snow. Enough. As the blur descended on him again, Inuyasha lashed out, using his feet to push his opponent backwards, and rolled up. His attacker was nowhere to be seen. Inuyasha dared not breathe too loudly and give his own location away. He strained his ears to hear any movement in the lethal silence.

A guttural snarl – Inuyasha couldn’t even pick up the direction it came from before claws were tearing across his back. His eyes blew wide as he braced himself not to collapse. With a roar of frustration, Inuyasha unsheathed the tessaiga and spun to his feet. The fang collided with a body, but did not cut through. Inuyasha flipped backward to put distance between them, landing in a crouch.

His attacker mirrored his movements with predatory mimicry. Inuyasha slowly rose, watching the silhouette do the same. Out of the cloud of snow they’d kicked up, his own image snarled back at him. Inuyasha stiffened. Violet markings stretched like lightning down the creature’s cheeks, the whites of his eyes red, and fangs elongated. A sinister grin bloomed on his face like a bloodstain. Inuyasha'd never seen himself like this, had no idea of the way his face distorted. This was the monster that sang in his veins like a hornet’s nest. This was what Kagome saw when he lost control. Inuyasha understood immediately what he had to do. _“The trial will pit you against your greatest enemy. If you survive it, you will earn the power to overcome them”_ So be it, then.

Inuyasha raised the tessaiga toward his opponent, glaring at him down the edge of the fang. The gleeful smile he received in return made him nauseous; Demon Inuyasha looked _excited_. “Only one of us is leaving here,” said Inuyasha.

The Demon Inuyasha cocked his head to the side, his frozen irises slicing through Inuyasha. A growl crescendoed from his chest. Inuyasha hardly saw him move a muscle before he was surging forward with claws outstretched. Inuyasha lunged sideways, bringing the sword up to block a swipe. He pushed back with a wide swing, but his demon self disappeared before he could even land the strike. Too fast. Too fast, and too unpredictable. Inuyasha turned, barely blocking an attempt the demon made to cut his neck. Blood from his arm and back crystallized onto the snow, leaving a trail wherever he went. Demon Inuyasha appeared to his left, and lowered himself onto all fours. Keeping his red eyes onto Inuyasha, he dragged his tongue over the frozen blood. A shiver cut straight through Inuyasha’s gut. With a mad grin, the demon lept forward, his appearance flickering into a shadow hound and back again.

Inuyasha lashed out, frustration mounting. He couldn’t keep up, and his attack and defence was suffering from it. It was a flash of red, or black—a growl and a howl—and he’d feel claws tearing into his flesh. Roaring in anger, Inuyasha struck out with the wind scar, tearing through the snow. For a moment, he let himself believe he’d landed a hit, but then the demon’s fist collided with the side of his head.

“Still relying on Father to fight your battles for you?” his own voice cooed in his ears; the sound like bloody nails peeling off from his fingertips one by one.

Inuyasha sucked in a harsh breath at hearing his own voice. He hadn’t even thought the demon could speak. He recovered, swinging up in a diagonal arc. “Shut up!” he screamed.

The demon rolled out of the way, taunting Inuyasha by evading every move with a wild smile. “You still need Father to save you,” he sneered. “Without his fang, you are nothing.”

“No!” Inuyasha growled as he lunged forward. In his fury, he managed to slice at his demon form’s arm, repaying him for his own wound. Colliding in mid air, the two pushed away and landed in identical crouches. “The tessaiga is _my_ weapon, re-forged with my own fang.” Inuyasha summoned the wind scar, and with the blinding golden light reflecting off the snow, the demon disappeared. His own advice to Shippo rang through his mind, and Inuyasha spun around the moment his demon form attempted a swipe at his back. The blade cut into his gut. “I trained!” Inuyasha swung, but the demon jumped up, feet landing on the blunt side of the fang. He used it as a platform and landed a kick to Inuyasha’s chest. Inuyasha caught him with his own foot as he was landing. “I worked! I risked my life to make my sword as powerful as it is!” he seethed. “Father may have created the tessaiga, but it’s my legacy now!”

The Demon Inuyasha slowly rose to his feet, dragging himself up. His head snapped up, and once again, his image flickered into that of a black, featureless hound. Before Inuyasha could blink, he was on his back, claws digging into his skin as the demon gripped his neck. The sword fell from his hands as he pried at the hands choking him. “But it’s not enough!” the demon grinned. “Don’t you see?! It doesn’t matter! You can spend your life making your sword strong, but it won’t matter. _You_ will never,” he punched him with a force that made the earth quake, “be,” again, “strong,” again, “enough!”

Inuyasha’s vision began to blacken, but the demon would not let him faint. Pulling him up by the folds of his robe, he denied him the bliss of unconsciousness.

“Oh no, no, no, not enough for me.” Dropping him, the Demon Inuyasha rose up. “I am your weakness!” He stomped down on Inuysha’s head. Blood tricked from the corner his victim’s mouth. “No matter how powerful you become, you will never be able to control me.” The Demon cocked his head to the side, his manic grin glaring down at Inuyasha through crimson eyes. “I will always be there, scratching at the back of your mind. Father dearest’s sword can’t help you. I will always be there, and as long as I am,” he pressed his foot down hard against Inuyasha’s chest, exhilarated by the sound of ribs cracking, “you can never win.”

With that, he pulled his arm back, claws tensed as he struck down toward his heart. He was only an inch away when he stopped short. His prey was smiling, _laughing_. “What?” the demon snarled. “What are you smiling about?!”

“Shouldn’t leave your back unguarded,” Inuyasha smirked through a rough cough.

The Demon Inuyasha’s eyes widened. The tessaiga, which had been abandoned in the snow, flew toward the sheath in Inuyasha’s hand. Inuyasha grabbed the hilt, and instantly the blade was covered in green dragon scales. Summoning what strength he could, Inuyasha threw the sword into the air, piercing it into a vortex of energy visible only to his eyes. The demon cried out, thrown back in a burst of light. Inuyasha caught the sword as it fell, somersaulting up to his feet. However unsteady he was, he recovered.

Another squall blew over the plain, the torrential winds haphazardly blowing around the snow. Inuyasha winced, eyes squeezing shut.

When he opened them again, the world was red. Not a trace of snow remained. The plain was replaced with a barren desert of dry, cracked earth. Inuyasha’s breath caught in his throat as he looked around frantically. Above him, dark clouds churned against a bloody sky. A black moon eclipsed the sun and set itself on fire. The change in atmosphere offset him, but Inuyasha couldn't comprehend anything; his mind was exhausted. He hadn’t the presence of mind nor the time to try to understand what was happening. Behind him, he heard Miroku and Sango’s voices shouting some distorted words he couldn’t translate. When he turned around, he saw that they were only images, figures with no faces, paralyzed in time as they reached out ahead of themselves.

A string of petrifying fear threaded through Inuyasha’s chest. Miroku and Sango were pointing at Kagome, her image clear as water at the edge of a cliff. Her gaze penetrated directly into his. She began to fall backwards in slow motion. And then, it didn’t matter that Inuyasha didn't know what was happening. It didn’t matter that he was in the middle of a trial, or that this could not possibly be real. _She_ was in danger. “Kagome!” Inuyasha cried as he sprinted forward, hands outstretched as he struggled to catch her. But like a nightmare, no matter how fast he ran, Kagome was out of reach. Inuyasha launched himself off the edge of the cliff, following after her without a second thought. He never even graze her hand before his vision erupted into white, and he landed face-first in the snow. Inuyasha sprung up, seeking Kagome out, but it was as if she was never there; maybe she hadn't been.

Shaking his head, Inuyasha decided that he’d rather not stay in this place any longer. Tightening his grip on the tessaiga, he swept his gaze across the white plain until he found a red stain hunched over. Inuyasha approached it with confidence, shoulders squared and back straight despite his bleeding body. As he stopped behind his opponent, he raised the blade to the back of his neck. “I win.”

The figure sank down with a shuddering sigh before sitting back up. Black hair cascaded down from his head. Inuyasha stumbled back as his Human form turned to face him, the pure hatred in his brown eyes devastating. This Human was a pathetic sight, sharing every wound dealt to his demon form and shivering in the cold. Still, there was nothing that could quench the abhorrence in his glare. “Not what you expected?” he hissed.

Inuyasha swallowed hard. “You...”

The Human tilted his head up, exposing the vulnerable flesh of his neck. “What’s the matter? Just do it, there’s no difference.” Inuyasha’s hand fell to his side. It only made the Human angrier. “Look! The abomination pretends to have morals!” He spat blood at his feet. “Who are you kidding? You’re no different than him!” Human Inuyasha threw his arm out, pointing at the demon as he appeared behind them. “You are just as bloodthirsty, just as dangerous. You’re selfish for ever believing you could change.”

“You’re weak,” the demon leered. “Running on borrowed power and dumb luck. It’s not enough, it will never be enough.”

“Do it!” the human shouted, grabbing the fang. The blade’s edge dug into one palm as he held it up to his neck, drawing a trickle of blood from his skin. “Just give in already! You’re already a monster, you always have been! It’s either him or me, and we both know what you’re going to pick, so just get it over with!”

Inuyasha couldn’t take it. “ _Stop it!_ ” he yelled, throwing the tessaiga away. It landed vertically in the snow, reverting back to a rusty katana that tipped over easily in the wind. Inuyasha’s breath came heavy in his chest, but he stood his ground, scowling at his Demon and Human forms. “I... am so... sick and tired of everyone telling me to pick sides,” he seethed. “I’m done. I’m not doing this anymore.”

“Reject us both then,” the Human scoffed. “You’ll be an outcast for the rest of your life.”

“No,” Inuyasha growled, and both forms of himself paused. “I’m not rejecting any part of myself anymore. That’s what got me into this whole fucking mess in the first place!” He had no idea what sort of bullshit he was spewing, but he meant every word of it. Inuyasha would finish the trial, but he would do it on his own terms.

The idea sounded good in his head, but before he could think his way out of the hole he’d dug for himself, the demon surged toward him with a savage roar. Inuyasha grappled with him, the two of them tumbling into the snow. He struggled with the beast, fighting to keep his claws from his throat, until he felt something fall out of his robe. The idea was faint, but it was there. Whether or not it would work was a matter of fate. Managing to throw the demon off, Inuyasha swept the Godstone out of the snow and held it outwards, willing it to work.

The effect was immediate. Inuyasha watched as the crystal sucked the demon's glowing energy vortex. It burned in his hand, but he persisted, and with a thunderous screech, the demon’s image faded into the falling snow. When he turned, his Human form had disappeared just the same. He was alone. Inuyasha dropped to his knees, battle fatigue pulling him to the ground. He fought to catch his breath, and although his bones ached, his wounds stung, and his throat was raw from screaming, he felt a weight he’d known all his life lifted off of his shoulders. Rising to his feet once again, Inuyasha waited for some finality. Nothing happened. He’d expected a grand ceremony, to receive the ancient power he’d earned, but the silence dragged on. Not even his companions appeared to guide him back to the Inu Yokai castle.

Inuyasha sheathed his sword and began to walk. Perhaps he’d have to find his own way back, but that was fine. He’d make it back, and he’d discover how to defeat Masao with this victory, and then he’d return to Kagome. Inuyasha trekked through the blizzard, the thick snowfall and wind covering his tracks only three paces behind each step. The longer he went on, the stronger his disappointment and frustration grew. He walked until he could see mountain peaks rising up in the distance. “What more do you want from me?!” he exclaimed, raising his arms and turning his fury toward the sky. It was as if he could argue with the Spirit World itself, or whomever designed this damned place. “I defeated my greatest enemy! I did what I was supposed to do! No one ever said I had to kill him!” Only his own voice echoed back in reply. Inuyasha dropped his arms back down and his shoulders slumped forward.

Had he failed? Would he wander this endless world until he went insane or became one of the shadow hounds trapped here for eternity? Inuyasha clenched his teeth at the thought. He’d have given anything to lash out—to vent his anger—but there was nothing there aside from himself. No trees to cut down, and no boulders to smash. “Fuck the trial,” he seethed. “I stand by my decision. You hear that, you bastards?! _Fuck_ your trial! I’m done being my own worst enemy! I’m done _hating_ myself!”

The earth shuddered. Inuyasha stumbled to stay on his feet, turning frantically about himself in anticipation. There was nothing there, nothing changing, only the blizzard and the mountains—the mountains that began to shift and rise. The breath rushed out of Inuyasha’s lungs as he watched, through the blinding veil, the silhouettes he mistook for mountains get up and walk toward him. His hands shook, and as the mountains moved, their peaks sharpened and defined into the figure of a behemoth white dog. He’d never in his life seen anything so unfathomably enormous and imposing. Yet, the dog was regal in its movements, even as each paw landing on the ground created violent tremours. Golden eyes the size and intensity of two suns peered down at him.

The only thing that could tear Inuyasha's gaze away was the brilliant red light glowing from the crystal in his hand. Inuyasha looked down at his palm, squinting through the glare as he watched it grow brighter, until he caught more movement out of the corner of his eyes. Behind him another white dog, the size of an oak tree, stepped forward. It had the same golden irises as the last. Inuyasha turned around to face the colossal dog. He tensed, waiting for something to happen, _anything_ other than being stared at. The dog’s gaze was unbearable, and Inuyasha felt himself entirely consumed by it.

The dog lifted its head and howled, the sound rolling through the clouds, rivalling thunder. Inuyasha felt something within him stir, something that begged him to act, but before he could wonder what it was he needed to do, the smaller dog behind him howled in reply. The blizzard grew thicker, and the dog towering above him disappeared. A whirlwind of snow spun in a vortex not far ahead of him, swirling faster, until in one pulse, every single snowflake hung suspended in mid-air. The wind ceased. Out of the white spiral, a tall man with silver hair tied back and the markings of an inu yokai appeared, dressed in royal armour. Inuyasha would have mistaken him for Sesshomaru had he not been smiling. The man swept his arms out wide, his smile nearly taking up his entire face.

“My boy,” he grinned, pulling Inuyasha into a strong embrace. He laughed, and his voice was so deep and jovial that it seemed to ring through his bones. “You’ve done it!”

Inuyasha froze, hardly able to breathe with the man’s arms around him. He couldn’t even get a word out until he was being held at arm's length. It’d been difficult to process, but the hanyou wasn’t dense. He’d been able to put the clues together on his own. Still, it was surreal. “Father...?”

Lord Toga laughed again and shook his head, lifting one large hand to hold the side of his son’s face and laying the other onto his shoulder. “My boy,” he repeated. “Look how you’ve grown—the man you’ve become—I have never been more proud of you, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha tried to think of something to say, but ended up just staring wide-eyed up at his father, mouth agape.

Lord Toga chuckled and patted his shoulder. “Come now, after all this time, this is how you greet your own father?”

“I... I don’t know what to say,” Inuyasha admitted.

“I understand,” he replied with a more subdued smile. Looking down at the sword hanging at his son’s side, Lord Toga gestured to it. “May I?”

Inuyasha was hardly going to refuse. With nothing more than a nod, he unsheathed the tessaiga and passed it to its original creator.

The great General took the sword and held it up in the glinting light, turning it over in his hands. “Hello, old friend.” He ran his palm along the surface, before handing it back. “I can hardly recognize it. You’ve done well, Son.”

“Thank you, Father,” Inuyasha murmured as Lord Toga passed it back to him. His tone was earnest, a little shaken by the honour that simple compliment brought him. He held the blade in his hands for a moment as well, then slid it back into its home.

“I know you have questions for me,” Toga began.

“Understatement.”

“I know, I know,” he laughed. “Unfortunately, we do not have time for them all, so let me explain what I can in what time we have. Inuyasha, you were born out of love, never doubt that. However, you were born on the cusp of two worlds with no love for each other, and so you were taught to hate humans and to distrust demons. Words cannot express the sorrow I feel for having to leave you to fend for yourself. It hardened you, and while you came to accept yourself as a half-demon, you could not go on ignoring your heritage. That is why you so desperately needed this trial, and now more than ever, to learn balance. If you hadn't had the Godstone with you, you might have figured out another way to summon this form of your spirit,” he gestured to the dog apparition still standing behind him, “and you might not have. Hard to say. But you discovered it in your own way. I find it fitting! You've used your greatest weakness and turned it into your greatest strength. That, son, is balance. Remember the two worlds you belong to, and hold onto what you love. Only then will no one be able to take them from you.”

“Balance,” Inuyasha repeated.

“Inuyasha, you are the very embodiment of balance! You possess both darkness and light, but just as your light does not mean purity, your darkness does not mean evil.” Lord Toga turned to look over his shoulder, his expression pensive. He looked back at his son. “I am afraid we are out of time.”

“But—”

Toga raised his hand to silence him. “It’s unfair, I know, but we’ll have all the time in the world to talk in the next life.” He grinned, “And I expect that’ll not be for a long while. I want to see you become a wise, bitter old man before you see me again, understand?”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

Lord Toga burst into thunderous laughter. “Well, can’t say I didn’t try.” Pulling his son into one last embrace, this time returned, Toga patted his back and found the courage to step away. “I am proud of you, Inuyasha. You’ve become a strong man, as well as a _good_ one.” With that he turned, and the snow began to fall again as he walked away. His figure was nearly masked in white when he stopped and glanced back. “And Inuyasha! If I may help you one last time, remember this: You will know what to do when you hear the howling!”

Inuyasha frowned. “What do you mean?!”

No reply came. The armoured figure turned and walked on. Inuyasha wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he could have sworn he saw a woman’s silhouette, dressed in elegant robes, reach out to take his hand.


	27. Chapter 27

Sesshomaru hadn’t moved since Inuyasha disappeared. Koga was beginning to wonder if he’d actually frozen, but every time the wolf demon complained, Sesshomaru would shoot him a cutting glare, and he was reminded otherwise. Shippo had changed into his fox form, his thick fur protecting him from the cold. Even then, he dug himself a hole in the snow and curled up inside. Koga paced, casting impatient glances at the white horizon. The clouds were sheer, allowing the lavender sky to glow through. “Damn, how long is this supposed to take?” he growled.

“However long it takes for Inuyasha to slay his enemy,” Sesshomaru replied. It was clear in his voice that he was getting irritated.

Koga crossed his arms over his chest. “Maybe he already bit it.”

Shippo’s rust-coloured head popped up out of the snow. “Don’t say that!” he cried. “He’s fine. I’m sure he defeated his enemy and now he’s just-”

“Dead as a dog.”

“That’s not funny, Koga!” Shippo crawled out, shaking the snow from his fur. In a puff of smoke he transformed back into his natural form. “Inuyasha will complete his trial, just give him time!”

Finally turning his back on the horizon to face the other two demons, Koga threw his arms out in exasperation. “How much time does the guy need? I’m just saying, it’s possible he might have failed. Inuyasha’s as strong as anyone I know, but wasn’t this trial designed for full-blooded, royal Inu Yokai? I don’t like it any more than you, but maybe he couldn’t handle it.”

But as Koga spoke, a distant silhouette rose up against the arctic sun. The crimson figure raced toward him, and before Koga could turn, a pair of feet slammed against the back of his head, and he was set face-first into the snow. He coughed and sputtered, scrambling up to find Inuyasha sprinting off in the other direction. “Wha- Inuyasha?! Where the hell are you going?!”

“Where do you think?!” Inuyasha called back over his shoulder. He knew exactly where he was going. He was going back to the Inu Yokai Castle, he was going to stop Masao, and he was going to return to Kagome. So exhilarated from his encounter with his father, stopping even for a second was out of the question. He had the answer to all of their problems tucked away in his haori, he knew exactly what to do and even the Gods themselves would not stop him.

The three demons left behind looked at each other for a still moment. Shippo was soon scampering off after Inuyasha, but Koga and Sesshomaru weren’t keen on chasing the hanyou. That is, until they looked behind them. What could ahve been mistaken for a black avalanche came rushing toward them, distant howls and savage barking rumbling up to a deafening roar. Koga’s jaw dropped. Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed. In an instant, they were running to catch up.

“Coward.” Sesshomaru seethed as he overtook Inuyasha’s speed. “How did you escape?”

“What the hell do you mean?” Inuyasha asked. The shadow hounds overtook them. Without giving him the chance to fight on his own, Inuyasha grabbed Shippo and threw him onto his back, where the kitsune clung to him for dear life. There were too many of them to stop and fight, and he wouldn’t chance Shippo getting trampled. He’d be torn apart in an instant. Pulling the tessaiga from its sheath, Inuyasha cut through the dogs at his flank, not allowing them to get in front of him. They needed a clear path.

Sesshomaru did likewise with the bakusaiga, green sparks shooting out and engulfing the creatures. “You failed. How did you escape the trial without dying?”

“I didn’t!” Inuyasha grunted as he leapt over three hounds going for his throat.

Sesshomaru snarled at his brother. “They are not supposed to attack after the trial has been completed. Did you not overpower your enemy?”

“I did!”

“You killed it?” Sesshomaru roared in frustration, his cool demeanour cast aside in the heat of battle.

“No!”

“How could you overpower it without killing it?”

Inuyasha let out a heavy growl as he slashed through the creatures. “I improvised!”

“Inuyasha, watch out!” Shippo shrieked. A burst of blue flames glowed off the snow. Shippo threw out his foxfire at a shadow hound who’d gotten too close to his back. Inuyasha laughed it off as karma coming back to bite him in the ass- literally. Shippo, again, didn’t find it so funny.

The hoard pushed them onward, a rushing wave of claws and teeth threatening to rip them apart given the chance. Inuyasha, Koga, and Sesshomaru ran in a triangle formation, each of them fighting to clear the path and keep it that way. It didn’t matter how many beasts they destroyed. They were unending. Unlike their trip into the Spirit World, the attacks did not pause, they did not come in droves. They melded into each other behind them, melding together in one great ocean of shadow. It was all they could do just to keep from being swallowed whole. Finally, a single point of light shimmered up ahead.

“There it is!” Shippo called over Inuyasha’s shoulder. “That’s the portal!”

With one more push of speed, the demons shot toward their exit. The howling grew louder and louder, until they could hardly hear their panting breaths or their feet crushing on the snow. In a final effort to keep their prisoners, the dogs rose up, melting into one towering hound. It leapt forward, its snarling jaw a void, but before it could attack, a silver apparition burst out from the glowing red crystal in Inuyasha’s haori. Shippo watched from his back, eyes blown wide as the streak of light took the form of another enormous dog, and attacked the shadow in their defence. The moment it disappeared, they reached the portal, and as the shadow hound came crashing to the ground, they jumped.

Through the other side of the portal, Inuyasha and Koga skidded across the ground. Sesshomaru braced himself and landed on his feet. Shippo went flying off Inuyasha’s back, rolling to the ground. There was a single beat, a tense moment of silence, before the court erupted into cheers. Inuyasha rolled onto his back, panting for breath with a wide grin on his face. He let his head drop to the side to leer at Koga. “You were saying about me ‘not handling it’, shit breath?” Inuyasha gasped. Koga glared back at him.   
“Inuyasha!” Shippo launched himself at the hanyou. “Did you do it?

Inuyasha laughed breathlessly, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Don’t tell me you doubted me too.”

“Nope! I believed in you the whole time!”

Koga rolled his eyes as he picked himself up, brushing the snow off his winter hakama (not sure about this, but what else would he be wearing? just his fur skort? r.i.p. Koga’s balls.) “Alright, alright, I’m a piece of shit, I get it,” he grumbled. Standing over Inuyasha, he wordlessly extended his hand. Inuyasha laughed, clasping his wrist and letting Koga help pull him to his feet.

Lady Shimonami stepped forward, tapping her hands together with a blandly impressed expression. “Very good, I see you’ve come back in one piece. Tell me, Inuyasha, did you find what you were looking for?”

All at once, though he’d been all grins and adrenaline since he’d returned from his trial, Inuyasha seemed to calm down. With an almost sad smile, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Godstone. “Yeah,” he replied in a subdued tone. “Yeah, I think I did.” He ran the pad of his thumb over the ragged surface, turning it over in his palm. A hush fell over the crowd as they waited in anticipation, expecting him to display whatever grand power he’d achieved. Instead, Inuyasha turned to the kitsune boy. “Shippo,” he said, and his voice was stronger. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Shippo looked up at Inuyasha with a frown, cocking his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

Inuyasha knelt down and placed a heavy hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I mean, this might be scary, but... I’ll be alright. I know what I’m doing, I think. Okay? I don’t know how long it will take, but it’ll be okay.”

A look of apprehension clouded over Shippo’s face. “Inuyasha, you’re freaking me out. What are you going to do?”

Inuyasha rose to his feet, looking down at the Godstone again. Even Koga watching him warily, his shoulders tense. Inuyasha sent him a nod. Taking a deep breath, he held the crystal tightly in his hand. His father’s words echoed in his head. “I’m holding on... and not letting anyone take this from me.” Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha held onto the Godstone with both hands. Crimson light flared out, leaking out between the cracks of his fingers, growing to such an intensity that every witness had to shield their eyes. Inuyasha squeezed his eyes shut, struggling with consciousness as a pain he could never imagine ripped him apart from the depth of his soul. It was his soul itself under attack. He channelled it into the Godstone, letting it slip away from him even as his entire being fought back. A guttural scream tore his throat raw.

Shippo squinted through the glare, his heart fluttering in terror when he heard the hanyou scream. “Inuyasha! Stop it!” he cried. He tried to run toward him, but Koga grabbed him by the back of his vest before he could get more than two steps.

“Don’t touch him, kid,” the wolf demon shook his head. “That moron... he’s using it on himself! What is he thinking?”

Inuyasha’s tortured screaming grew more and more agonized, until out of the pure intensity, his voice melded into a dog’s howl. In an explosion of the crimson energy, he was left on the ground, unconscious, but breathing.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Takuya’s hut was always filled with plants. Even now, in the last weeks of winter, the walls were covered in evergreens bows, lined with seedlings in intricate pots that he kept warm with the embers of his fire. Jars filled with dried flowers and teas were stacked inside a chest against the back. Walking in, Kagome was always hit with an instant warmth and the fresh scent of his herbs. As she ducked into his hut that afternoon, pulling back the straw covering, she felt at peace. That was an incredible feat considering what she was about to ask.

Takuya looked up from the fire when she entered. “Kagome, I wasn’t expecting you,” he said as he set his logs aside. “What can I do for-”

“You were wrong,” Kagome smiled, eyes wide with excitement.

Takuya paused. “I... pardon?”

Kagome’s smile only grew. She rushed forward, kneeling down next to Takuya as she pulled Kaede’s quilt out of her sleeve. “What you said the other day,” she said as she pointed to the first square, the children playing in the forest. “You said that the only person who would know the connection to all of this, the quilt and the song and my dreams, would be Kaede. You were wrong.” Kagome pointed to the next square. Her finger ghosted over the form of the priestess. She looked back up at Takuya like she was sharing a precious secret. “ _Kikyo_ might know.”

Takuya’s gaze flickered between his pupil and the quilt. “Yes, I suppose she might have.”

A long pause settled into the room, Kagome waiting for Takuya’s excitement to reach hers, and Takuya waiting for Kagome to admit she’d lost her mind. Kagome was the one to break it. “That’s the key, don’t you see?”

Takuya shook his head. “I’m sorry Kagome but I really don’t see how this will hel-”

“Takuya, I need you to help me remember my life as Kikyo.”

Finally, the priest understood. Hesitation took over his features. “Kagome, I’m not sure.”

“You could do it, couldn’t you? You must know something about past life regression,” Kagome pressed, smoothing the quilt out on her lap. “Don’t you think it could work?”

Takuya thought over his answer carefully. “I do know how to guide past life regression,” he replied slowly. “However, you must understand Kagome that this isn’t something to be taken lightly... and we do not know for sure if Kikyo knew anything about this.”

Kagome shifted toward him. “But there’s a possibility, isn’t there? Even if Kikyo knew nothing about the quilt, and the song, if there’s the slightest chance that remembering her life with Kaede will give me some clue, isn’t it worth it? Kikyo was obviously alive when this boy was in Kaede’s life, and the boy has some connection. He’s there with her in nearly all of the pieces.”

Takuya sighed. After a moment’s deliberation, he pushed himself to his feet with a grunt and shuffled across the room. Stopping at his chest, he stooped down again and began filling a small clay bowl with a carefully picked selection of herbs. “Past life regression is a tricky business,” he said as he created the blend. “It is very difficult to stay on track, and while I can guide you from the physical word, your mind will be travelling beyond its reach. If you become distressed, I will have to wake you up. Because of this, the likely hood of you making it passed the first stage of the regression is against you.” Carrying the bowl back to the fire pit, Takuya took his pestle and began to grind the herbs into a fine powder. Kagome watched him curiously, straightening up when he looked her in the eyes. “The first stage is your death. You will remember how Kikyo died as if it is happening to you all over again. Do you understand this, Kagome?”

Resolute as ever, Kagome raised her chin and nodded. “I understand.”

“Very well,” Takuya nodded. Although he agreed, his expression was grim. “Lay down here,” he said, gesturing to his futon. Kagome obeyed, crawling over to the bed and laying herself out on her back. Takuya took the quilt and draped it over her form. Kagome knew this was for the best, worth any horror she might see, but even with that conviction, she felt her hands shake. Takuya squeezed her hand with an encouraging smile, though his heart still didn’t seem to be in it. Kagome returned it with as much bravery as she could manage. With his iron thongs, Takuya plucked an ember from the fire and dropped it into a brass bowl. He took a pinch of the herbal blend he’d made, and dropped it over the burning charcoal. The powder hissed, and a fragrant smoke slowly filled the room. “Take deep breaths,” he instructed, voice calm and steady. “Let them fill your chest, down to your diaphragm, and let them out slowly. Good. Now, close your eyes.” As he spoke, Takuya knelt down at Kagome’s head, positioning sun-dried and calloused hands to hover above her face. Kagome felt her head become light with the heat radiating off his palms. “I want you to put yourself in a dark room. Keep breathing deeply, that’s it. This dark room has only one point of light, and it’s at the bottom of a long, narrow stairwell. As you walk down the stairs, you are traveling deeper and deeper within yourself. Taken the steps slowly, concentrating on staying relaxed. If you feel you’re about to slip away, let yourself go, don’t worry. I’ll be here. The steps are going deeper, and as you walk down, the light is growing brighter...”

And then Takuya’s voice was a distant, incoherent echo. Kagome squinted as she stepped into the ethereal light. Suddenly robbed of her breath, she was thrown into another body...

Kikyo held the bow out as the string thrummed. Her fingertips could still feel the run of the string before she’d let go. It was a miracle she’d made the shot. She could hardly see straight. Watching as the rose-tinted jewel fell from Inuyasha’s listless hand, a distorted red-figure pinned to the tree, Kikyo finally gave in. The strain was too much, the _pain_ was too much, an unbearable agony torn through her shoulder. She collapsed to her knees. No matter how hard she breathed, the air didn’t reach her lungs. She’d lost too much blood. The heat of the summer sun couldn’t warm her. Trembling on the ground, the villagers surrounded her, but even they knew she was beyond help. Already, their heads were bowed in prayer. The gaping maw of the void slowly surrounded her, and Kikyo was afraid. Tears stung her eyes, dark tendrils growing at the edges of her vision. She didn’t want to die. She was afraid, and she didn’t want to die, but her heart was failing and she could feel it. As her sight began to fail to, she lifted her gaze with all the fury of a dying woman, and glared up at the peacefully sleeping figure of Inuyasha. Burning hatred was not enough to keep her alive, but it was an easier out than fear. Her lungs seized, wracking her shivering body with coughs until she hacked clotted blood onto the grass.

The grass was cool that night. The crickets were singing in the distant trees. Kikyo did not feel any pain, only a slight pull on her consciousness, beckoning her to lift out of an unfeeling body. She could not feel the warmth of Inuyasha’s chest, or his arms wrapped so gingerly around her, but she could hear his heart beat. Nestled against him, she struggled to hold onto this world just a little longer. Just over Inuyasha’s shoulder, she could see Kagome, sitting on the ground her her knees drawn up to her chest. _Kagome was hit with the surreality of watching herself from two different eyes._ All the searing jealously Kikyo had felt towards the girl seemed so absurd now. She was a free woman.

But then came the dying again, the horrible sensation of suffocating and numbness, of lifting out of her body, of blood and pain and cold. Kagome was thrashed between the two memories, two deaths, so much more than she could handle. “ _Kagome, Kagome! Calm down, you’re alright. I’ve got you. It’s only a memory, you’re only remembering. Focus on what you are there for.”_ A foreign peace seeped its way into her body. Her vision went dark again, and the voice slipped away. She couldn’t have been any older than ten years old...

Kikyo huddled in the corner of what was left of her home, sweat making her fringe cling to her forehead. Her parents told her to hide inside and protect the baby. Through the screaming and the inhuman roars of the demons attacking the village, she protected little Kaede. For hours afterwards, she’d been too petrified to move. Huddling in the corner of the house, she’d clutched the crying baby tightly. A glistening blue barrier had formed around them without her control. It wasn’t until a few of the village men stumbled into the house, searching for survivors, that she was found like that. The men stopped in the doorway. Kikyo sniffed and wiped the tears from her cheeks, slowly rising to face them. She held Kaede close, flinching back protectively when one of the men stepped forward. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you out of here,” the man offered his hand.

Kikyo held the baby away from him. “Kaede too?”

The other man behind him sighed. Kikyo’s eyes were already older than her years. The villager with his hand outstretched nodded, waiting until she accepted it to gently guide her out of her burning ruins. Kikyo followed only four steps before she stopped dead in her tracks. Just through the shoji door, the wall just barely standing on its own, the bloodied hands of a man and woman clasped in a death embrace. The man ushered her out of the house before she saw any more.

_The vision blurred, like a stone cast into a rippling pond._

When everything settled, Kikyo was bowing at the door of a shrine in the pouring rain. Her feet were bare, blistered by the miles she’d walked to come to her grandmother’s shrine. She carried only two bundles, one in her hand carrying a portion of rice and two fish, and one on her back, kept dry with straw and a spare cloth. The baby inside it, only a year old, whimpered as lightning cracked through the sky. Rain streaked through the dirt stains on Kikyo’s cheeks. Shivering from the cold, she was entirely pathetic in the eyes of the old woman inside the shrine house.

“They are dead?” the woman asked abruptly. She had a proud aura, and folded her hands over the bevel of her walking stick like a

Kikyo nodded. The woman glanced between her and the bundle on her back, her critical gaze piercing. For a terrifying moment, Kikyo was certain that she would be turned away. She’d met her maternal grandmother only a sparse few times in her life. Even then, she got the impression that she would not likely take on two more mouths to feed. Sure enough, the woman’s eyes narrowed, and her feet shifted as if to step away and close the door. “Wait!” Kikyo cried, “I will work for the shrine. I won’t be in the way. I promise,” she begged, growing desperate. “Please, at least take Kaede.”

The woman appraised her, chin high. She was silent for a long moment. “How did you survive? I’ve heard about the slaughter, how did the demons not devour the two of you?”

Kikyo shuddered, still bowing low despite the heavy burden on her back. “I-I don’t know... Mama and Papa told me to protect the baby, so I did. I don’t know how, but I made a blue light, and they couldn’t get us.”

“I thought as much,” the woman nodded. “You spiritual powers will not be wasted as your mother’s were. Come inside.”

_The vision rippled again._

The Sengen Shrine was a grand compound of elegant buildings and gardens. Grandmother was the head Priestess, an iron woman who commanded her inferiors with strict reverence for the ancient practices. Amoung those priestesses was her youngest daughter Shunka, Kikyo’s aunt. She was only about five years older than Kikyo, so they shared a bedroom, and Shunka helped her take care of Kaede. While the older priestesses, three of them, went about their daily duties, Shunka would train with her mother, and Kikyo would be charged to sweep the shrine houses, weed the gardens, and take care of other menial labours. All the while, Kaede sat in a cloth wrapped around her sister’s back. Grandmother said she was too old now to be taking care of an infant, and so the responsibility fell on Kikyo.

When winter came, and visitation offering to the Shrine declined, the compound shrouded in snow, Kikyo found her workload lighter. One morning, Grandmother came to her door. Kikyo scrambled to kneel down and bow quickly. The now walking Kaede giggled and tried to imitate her sister, succeeding in only falling on her belly. With her forehead pressed to the floor, Kikyo watched the baby out of the corner of her gaze and smiled. Grandmother cleared her throat sharply. “You will come to the training room after your chores. Today, you will learn the first movement of the Kagura dance.”

Kikyo raised her head meekly, looking up at her grandmother in confusion. “I’m sorry, I do not understand...”

“You were able to conjure a protective barrier at such a young age, powerful enough to repel demons. As I told you when I allowed you to live here, your spiritual powers will not be put to waste.”

_The ripples washed the image away._

Training was hard. Kikyo crawled onto her mat every night with aching muscles from the slow, precise movements of the dance. By the end of Winter, she’d mastered it, but Grandmother said her movements were clumsy, and her awkward, gangly body wasn’t graceful enough to perform the dance in public. So, they moved on to Shrine duties. Shunka acted as Kikyo’s tutor, lending a kind tone to Grandmother’s harsh commands. When she wasn’t training, she was doing chores around the shrine. When she wasn’t doing chores, she was practicing the Kagura dance, or meditating. During most of the day, Kaede was either in a sling on her back, or stumbling around at her heals. In the few lone hours she had, when twilight rose through the windows and the stars peaked through, Kikyo would play with Kaede. In their cramped little room, she would use the oil lamp to create shadow puppets on the walls. If she could find tattered old rags, she’d fashion them into dolls with straw stuffing and spare thread. Kaede was growing, and would soon be too big to be carried around all day. She was already walking, and could squeal half words like “Ki-yo” and “up!”. Kikyo asked Kaede one night, curled up on their futon, if Kaede remembered Mama and Papa. Kaede had only stared up at her for a moment, before giving her a brilliant smile and patting her little palms on her sister’s cheeks.

_A stone cast in the water._

Kikyo blinked through the sweat beading on her forehead as she struggled to maintain a barrier. She’d been told that if she did not stay still, and keep the barrier up for two hours, she would not be allowed to have dinner. Sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the empty training room, Kikyo tried to control her breathing. Though the strain on her body made it difficult to think straight let alone concentrate, she remained implacable. The moment she heard the bell ring from the other side of the room, the barrier dropped, and she fell back with a satisfied exhale onto the hardwood. Shunka entered the room with a proud smile, Kaede following behind with a bowl of water. Her baby sister was four years old now, hard as it was to believe. She was endlessly inquisitive and bright. Kikyo worked hard to keep her that way, hiding the blisters on her hands and feet every night.

“You did well,” Shunka praised as she knelt down beside her.

Kaede spilled a few drops of water in her haste to bring the water to her big sister. Kikyo sat up after catching her breath and took the bowl with a smile. “Thank you, Kaede.”

Never quite able to stay still for long, Kaede was soon wandering around the room. She soon found herself attracted to an ornate staff hung up on the wall, adorned with silk ribbons and golden bells that sparkled in the afternoon light. Kaede reached up, trying to jump high enough to reach it. One jump had her swept right off her feet as Kikyo scooped her off the ground. “Oh no, you don’t,” she said as she lifted the girl up into her arms. “That’s Grandmother’s kagura suzu. You mustn’t touch it, promise Kaede?”

Kaede’s lips drooped in a pout, but she nodded with a kiss to her sister’s cheek.

_The water churned._

“ _Flickering lanterns, hanging from the Tree  
Let them guide your way back to me  
Flickering lanterns, call you back to me  
On the branches of the Sacred Tree.”_

“What’s that song, sister?”

Kikyo looked down at Kaede as she released the string of her bow. In her moment of distraction, the arrow was sent off course and hit the bushes behind the target. She had to hit the center at least ten times today, or she would have twice as many chores to do tomorrow. With her pitiful score so far, she didn’t have much hope left. Kaede sat behind her at a safe distance, playing with the straw dolls the elder sister made for her. Kikyo strung another arrow. “I don’t know,” she replied. “It’s just a song I made up. I sing it to myself while I work sometimes.”

“It’s pretty,” Kaede smiled, a few of her baby teeth already missing. “But what sacred tree is it about?”

Kikyo shrugged. The arrow hit just off-center.

_The ripples thrashed through the violent water._

Grandmother was shouting. Kikyo dropped her broom and ran down the open-aired corridors, the cicadas singing pleasantly over the furious voices. She followed the sound to the training room, where little gold bells were scattered over the floor. Grandmother was standing over a sobbing Kaede, her walking stick raised to strike.

Kikyo didn’t need to know what had happened. It didn’t matter. “Wait!” she cried as she ran between her sister and grandmother. “Please, don’t blame Kaede. It’s my fault, I should have been watching her,” she pleaded with a low bow.

Grandmother appraised her, much like she had the night she’d taken the little urchin into her shrine. She nodded to Kikyo’s white kimono. “Off.”

An icy terror ran down Kikyo’s spine, but she obeyed. Untucking the kimono from her hakama, head bowed and hair falling in a curtain over her face, she tossed the garment aside. The tip of Grandmother’s walking stick pressed under her chin and tilted her head up.

“You are becoming a young woman,” Grandmother commented as her eyes raked Kikyo’s body. Looking to Shunka, who stood in the doorway with a look of horror, Grandmother gestured toward the whip that sat on a low shelf on the wall. Averting her gaze, Shunka wordlessly obeyed, retrieving the whip and holding it out to her mother with trembling hands. Grandmother, however, closed Shunka’s fingers around the whip. Shunka’s gaze snapped up to meet Grandmother’s, tears brimming in her mortified eyes. Grandmother’s frown deepened. With a flinch, Shunka reluctantly accepted her duty. Struggling to hold her tears at bay, she walked behind Kikyo and raised the whip.

Later that night, as Kikyo lay on her stomach on her futon in a cold daze, Kaede sat in the corner, and the two did not say a word to each other.

_The image became clouded, distorted by memories bleeding into each other._

At seventeen years old, Kikyo was called into Grandmother’s private room. The old woman was growing sickly in her age but held the same unbreakable sternness that her pupils knew all too well. “You have completed your training,” Grandmother began. The ceremony had been just a few days ago. “I have moulded you into a powerful Priestess.”

Kikyo nodded, her eyes respectfully fixed on the floor. “You have, and I thank you for it,” she replied. Her voice was hollow.

“It is now time for you to use your power where they are needed,” Grandmother handed Kikyo a scroll, inked with a crude map. “This village sits not far from the base of Mount Fuji. Their head priest has died, and you are to take his place.”

Kikyo took the scroll with a bow of thanks, unsure of how to feel. “Thank you, Grandmother,” she said. “We will leave first thing in the morning.”

Grandmother raised a brow. “We?”

“Yes...” Kikyo replied, dread piercing through her stomach. “Kaede will be coming with me, won’t she?”

“What use would Kaede have there?” Grandmother scoffed. “No, she will stay here, and begin her training next spring.”

“She is only six years old!” Kikyo jumped to her feet. Grandmother gaped up at her, fury snarling in her curled lips. “Kaede is too young to start her training!”

“Hold your tongue,” the old woman snapped.

All at once remembering humility, as there was no other option, Kikyo dropped down to her knees and pressed her forehead to the floor. “ _Please_ , Grandmother. I will take over her training. Kaede... she is all I have in the world.”  
  
“You?” Grandmother drawled. “Very well, if only it will stop your grovelling.”

_The water cleared._

Kikyo sat under the shade of a maple tree, lush grass swaying in the summer breeze. In the middle of the glade, the children skipped in circles, hands clasped as they surrounded the kneeling child in the middle. Out of the group, she could pick out Kaede, smiling and singing along with the other kids. The children stopped, the one in the middle called out a name, and they all laughed when he got it wrong. Kikyo wasn’t entirely sure how the game worked, had never gotten the chance to play it herself, but Kaede’s laughter rang above all the others. She remembered, two years ago now, Kaede curling up in her futon their first night in the village and asking if they had to go back to Grandmother’s shrine. When Kikyo had said no, that this was their home now, Kaede had smiled, and cried, and crawled into bed with her sister. Kikyo hadn’t seen her cry since that night.

“I won, sister!” Kaede cheered as the children dispersed to find new games.

“What did you win?” Kikyo asked, drawing her sister’s hands into her lap with a smile.

Kaede giggled. “I won at Kagome! I can always guess who is behind me, so I won _five_ times!”

“That’s wonderful, Kaede, but you mustn’t brag.”

Kaede sighed. “I know, I know.”

Kikyo shot her a warning look, but couldn’t stop the smile still tugging at the corners of her mouth. Kaede often complained that she didn’t smile with her whole face.

“May we play in the water?” Kaede asked, pointing back to a little boy hovering just a few feet behind them.

Kikyo looked back at him. He was a shy boy, a little more contemplative than the other children, but incredibly sweet. He’d quickly become Kaede’s best friend in the village. Kikyo nodded. “Yes, but stay on the bank where I can see you, and don’t go into the deeper water. The current is weak in this part of the river, but it’s still dangerous.”

“Thank you!” Kaede beamed, giving her sister a parting kiss on the cheek before she was scampering off to her friend. “Come on, Masao! I’ll race you!”

Kikyo’s heart skipped. Like waking up from a dream, everything around her came into sharp focus. _Masao._ That name resonated in her mind, repeated on an endless roar until no other thoughts could penetrate it. She rose up, opening her mouth to call out to Kaede. No sound came out. A shiver ran down her spine, like eyes burning into the back of her head. Kikyo slowly turned around, catching a glimpse of a silver-haired young man perched on a tree branch. The moment she met his golden gaze, she was lost.

The world changed around him. No sooner could she blink that Kagome found herself standing on a snowy plain. Before her, two mirror images of Inuyasha squared off, one she recognized as the petrifying visage of his demon form. Inuyasha stared at her as the scene changed again, the only consistent things being each other. They stood on an orange cliff, under a black moon and crimson sky, and an ethereal tipped pushed her over the edge. A crack of thunder rolled through the clouds, drowned under the sound of Inuyasha’s voice shouting her name. The orange cliff rose above her as she fell through open-air toward the beach below. The sky was burning in gold and blood red, clouds pitch black. The Moon eclipsed the Sun and set itself on fire, and all the while she was falling.

 _Kagome, focus. You’re losing yourself. Focus._ A voice rang out.

In a flash, Kagome found herself standing on the beach. At the foot of the cliffs, she reached up towards Inuyasha, recoiling when a flash of solar lightning revealed his demonic features. On the top of the cliffs, a white light glowed with wisps of snowflakes melting as soon as they touched the red earth. Ignoring her entirely, the demon Inuyasha scaled the cliffs in leaping bounds, leaving Kagome entirely alone. The solitude of the beach threatened to swallow her whole.

Kagome walked toward the water, eyes scanning the beach for any sign of life. The humid breeze tousled her hair, and as she brushed her fringe back into place, the movement caught her attention in her reflection. Kagome walked until the tide caressed her ankles, peering down into the water. Kikyo stared back at her, reflecting her every move. For a long moment, the two women stared at each other, blinking in unison, until of her own accord, Kikyo smiled back at Kagome. Kagome’s eyes widened, breath seized in her chest, as Kikyo turned to look further down the beach. Bare feet dipping imprints into the wet sand, another woman in priestess robes walked with her back to Kagome. As the woman sauntered away, her hair blew out of the way, and revealed white clothe draped over her right eye.

Kikyo’s reflection reached out to Kaede. Realizing that she could never reach her, Kikyo broke down into sobs, muted by the water.

A blinding light opened up behind Kagome. The moment she whirled around to face it, the light dragged her in, pulling her back into her own body. Kagome’s eyes snapped open as she gasped, jolting upright on the futon. The hut was quiet and warm, still smelling of dried herbs and fresh pine needles. Takuya was kneeling in front of her, his steady hand on her shoulder. “Breathe,” he instructed, his voice calm and low. He offered a steaming up to her. “Drink this, it’ll help you feel better.”

Kagome obeyed, fingers curling around the warm clay as she sipped at her tea. She was shivering, she realized only when Takuya draped a spare blanket over her shoulders.

“You were deviating too far, so I had to wake you up,” Takuya explained. Everything about her surroundings felt too stark now. “Take your time, it’s difficult to get used to.” Kagome only nodded, lifting the cup to her lips again. Takuya watched her carefully. “Do you know what set you off?”

“I think so,” Kagome whispered. “It was... right when I - or... she saw Inuyasha for the first time. Then it was like I was pulled somewhere else. I ended up in my reoccurring nightmare.”

Takuya frowned. “That’s never happened before.”

Kagome didn’t know how to respond to that. Struggling to sort out the images assaulting her, the name Masao continued to resonate within her. Somehow, she’d ended with more questions than she had when she started, but... she felt closer, now. Closer to something not quite tangible yet. Lost in her thoughts, the hut was entirely silent. Kagome didn’t say another word until long after her tea went cold, when her head snapped up. “Did you hear that?” she asked.

“Hear what?” Takuya asked.

“I could have sworn I just heard,” Kagome turned her gaze to the window, “howling.” Setting her teacup aside, Kagome rose to unsteady feet, brushing Takuya’s insistence that she rest aside. She stumbled her way to the door. As she pushed the thick straw covering away, the cool winter air breathed over her skin. Her gaze froze on the sky.

“What is it?” Takuya asked as he reluctantly followed her to the door. “Kagome, what is it?”

Kagome raised her fingertips to her lips in quiet awe. In the sky over the distant mountains, the clouds had formed into the shape of two enormous, white dogs. Takuya’s eyes widened, a brisk wind cutting through. He rested his hand on Kagome’s back. “Come on, let’s get back inside. Looks like the last snowstorm of Winter is coming. Spring isn’t too far away now.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

That night, Kagome dreamt that she was in a castle in the clouds. She stood in an open corridor, lined with decorated rails and looking out over and endless expanse of white. Lost and aimless, she stepped lightly toward the interior rooms, her feet making no sound. Silver-haired servants passed her by without acknowledgment. Around the corner, two familiar voices were arguing.

“But he said it’s too dangerous!”

“When has that ever stopped me? This is our best chance to hit Masao back, I’m not going to pass it up just because dog boy has his tail between his legs!”

Kagome leaned against the wall, peering around the corner to see Koga and Shippo standing in front of a shoji door. It was opened just enough to let the flicker of a lamp shine out into the hall.

Shippo glared up at Koga. Even the size of a human child his age, the wolf demon towered menacingly over him. “Inuyasha’s going to figure something out, he said he would. Why do you have to be so stupid?”

“Watch it,” Koga growled. “Inuyasha’s not here to protect you, remember that, kid.” With that final word, Koga turned and stormed up the hall, right passed Kagome. Shippo followed after him, still trying to win him over. Kagome frowned as they both disappeared down the hall. What they were arguing about was lost on her. Stepping out into the next corridor, Kagome looked around herself before slipping into the open room. She paused in the doorway.

Inuyasha lay on a futon, a blanket draped over his shivering body and a wet cloth on his sweaty forehead. His chest rose and fell in shallow bursts. Kagome bit her lip at the pitiful sight. Quietly entering the room, she knelt down at Inuyasha’s head. How she understood what she was there to do, she didn’t know, but with Inuyasha in this state she didn’t question it. Kagome tried to lift his head into her lap, like she’d done so many times before, but her fingers slipped through him. She’d have to make do then. Kagome bowed her head, and let her palms hover over Inuyasha’s eyes as warm energy flowed through her body. Instantly, Inuyasha relaxed, body heaving a great sigh as some invisible burden was lifted.

When they woke up, they would both believe it was a dream, and nothing more. For that night, though, Kagome combed her fingers of Inuyasha’s scalp, easing what pain she could, and her name fell off his tongue in feverish prayers.


	28. Chapter 28

Time passed in a feverish haze. Not awake, and yet unable to rest, Inuyasha was aware of voices and sensations, but beyond that he knew nothing. He was drifting on violent waters, just barely staying above the surface while the riptide tore him apart. People came in and out of the room, their presences burning at his own like molten needles. Every aura, every whisper of energy that passed pierced into him.

When he finally woke, the light streaming in through the paper blind was warm. His ears twitched, listening to snow drip off a tree branch as a bird took flight. He stared up at the ceiling, eyes slowly coming to focus on the grain of the wood. Sweat dripped down his nose, moped up a second later by a young servant kneeling at his left side.

“I heard you were beginning to stir,” Lady Shimonami said from his right. Inuyasha’s head dropped to the side on his futon, blinking the image of her arrogant and vaguely amused expression into clarity. “So, I came down to see for myself. I was wondering when you were going stop freeloading in my castle. I suppose it’s a trait from your father, he was hellish to wake up in the mornings.” Despite the seemingly harsh words, there was no bite to her voice.

Inuyasha grunted as he pushed himself up on his forearms. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m fine,” he replied in dripping sarcasm. Much to his displeasure, his voice cracked as he spoke, dry and unused for so long.

“Well, you had better be,” the Lady shrugged. “You’re the one who used that confounded rock on yourself, I would have assumed you had some form of an idea. That, or you’d gone completely mad.”

At the mention of the Godstone, Inuyasha became aware of the stone in his hand, the jagged edges pressing imprints into his palm. He opened his fingers, joints stiff, and stared down at the crystal. “I’m not entirely sure what’s true.”

“I thought as much.”

Inuyasha ran his thumb over the rough surface of the crystal, feeling a deep, humming resonate with every stroke, like the long tone of a singing bowl. His head still swam, gut churning painfully in need of food, but physical needs could take a back seat for the time being. Inuyasha managed to push himself fully upright, leaning back against the wall for support. “The trial, though... I think it did help. So, thanks I guess.”

“I have no interest in your gratitude,” Shimonami replied easily. “Although I am rather curious at what you gained. I take it you saw your father?”

Inuyasha nodded. “Mhm. The old man gave me a speech about balance, and then left with some cryptic ass message.”

“Ah good, I had been afraid the otherworld would make him soft. Can’t had it all over to you. In any case, he gave Sesshomaru the same speech. You are taking it much better than him.”

“Yeah?” Inuyasha cocked his head. “I tried asking Sesshomaru what happened during his trial, but he wouldn’t talk about it.”

Lady Shimonami sighed wearily. “What an ungrateful- he’s never accepted his own powers, you understand. Always pining after his father’s. He breaks his poor mother’s heart, after all he got it from my side.”

“What power?”

“The Inu Yokai, particularly the royal bloodline, are some of the only full blooded demons who are capable of a kind of purification. It is why his father gifted him the Tenseiga. It is a sword that purifies the dead and brings life. That is his form of balance, just as your is obtained through your mixed heritage.”

“I see,” Inuyasha murmured. Making a mental note of that, Inuyasha stretched and combed a hand back through his hair. “So, how long have I been out?”

Shimonami shifted her gaze out the window. “You’ve been unconscious for about a week. Quite the ruckus you missed, too.”

Inuyasha’s hair stood on end. “What do you mean?”

“All the arguing, it was exhausting,” she replied with an exasperated sigh. “Who knew that little fox had such a pair of lungs on him?”

“Lady, if you don’t tell me what the hell you’re talking about _right now-”_

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Shimonami waved him off. “Sesshomaru and the wolf leader have left for battle in the mortal world with their followers and allies, just three days ago. It should be fun, I gave them my best. The kitsune, however, seemed adamant that they refrain. He argued with them day and night until they left. He ran off just yesterday, claiming that he would stop them himself.”

Within moments, Inuyasha was on his feet, legs swaying unsteadily as he braced himself on the wall. “Did they say when the battle was starting?”

“I am sure they did, however I was not listening,” Lady Shimonami watched him from her place on the floor, unoffended and unmoved by his stance over her. In fact, she looked rather amused. “Where on earth are you going?”

“I’m going to stop those morons from getting themselves killed,” Inuyasha grunted as he tried unsuccessfully to drag himself to the door.

Lady Shimonami rolled her eyes. “How noble,” she droled as she finally rose to her feet. “You are not going to get far in this state, don’t be foolish. You will stay for dinner.”

Inuyasha scowled as she walked past him with ease, while he was out of breath just from standing. “I don’t have time to-”

“It will be served in the dining room at dusk. I’ll be very cross if you are late.”

Without so much as a look over her shoulder the woman walked away, robes trailing in her wake with every regal step. Inuyasha was left slumping down the wall of his room, struggling to keep up with what had just happened. The servant still kneeling beside his button cleared his throat. “Would you like me to prepare you a bath?”

Inuyasha groaned, head falling back against the wall. As much as he wanted to go running head first into battle, part of him still believing he could punch and slash his way out of anything, he knew that Shimonami had a point. If he ran off like this, he wouldn’t even make it to the battlefield. He probably reeked, too. “Fine,” he gave in. Gaze drifting back down to the Godstone clenched in his palm, Inuyasha frowned and ran his thumb over the surface again. The resonation ran through him again. Well, he wasn’t dead. Now to see if his plan actually worked.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The soldiers marched into the valley at dawn. They had waited on the other side of the hills for too long, and now that the snow was beginning to thaw, if they waited any longer it would be too dangerous to pass through the mountains into the north. The village had been stubborn in their efforts at diplomacy so far, and Lord Takeda Masao's patience had run out. The order was given, and the men were restless for action. The drums thundered a foreboding warning.

On the opposite side of the valley, a faint line of silhouettes stood punctuated by meager weapons. Pitchforks, rice hoes, knives, swords, and patches of armour, glinted in the lilac light. The air was clear and clean, morning dew dripping off the bare trees and into the melting snow. The approaching army had straightened up in confidence. This would be a quick battle. The lines met in the middle of the valley, on a low plain that slopped up the jagged mountainside. In the distance, a trail of carts and oxen trekked up the hill, followed by the village’s women, children, and elderly. The battlefield was set.

"Hault!" a commanding officer shouted In one beat, every soldier stopped. "Front rank, down!" Across the massive line, three men deep in most places, the soldiers standing in the front rank lowered to one knee, their armour clanking like funeral bells against their guns.

"Do not lose courage, men!" the village Chief shouted. "Charge them before they can fire! Go!" With adrenaline rushed shouts, the peasants spilled into the pit of the valley.

The General Samurai swiped his arm through the air. "Present! Fire!"

The first wave went down. Deafening explosions thundered as a volley of bullets rained down on the villagers, the echoes only overpowered by their screams. The gruesome and hellish sight was enough to make some of the villagers fleeing up the mountain try to turn back and help the fallen. Gunpowder smoke drifted over the field, crimson in the rising sun.

Still, the villagers kept charging. Just as the opposing forces were meters away from colliding, a sound released straight from the bowels of hell had both armies skidding to a stop. All eyes turned up the adjacent mountainside. Howls and shrill, piercing cries bounced off the rock faces. Through the smoke, a monsterous hoard rushed into the valley.

"Yokai!" The shout raised from every mouth in the valley, villagers and soldiers abandoning their weapons to run for safety.

“Get back here! I’ll have your heads if you abandon the line!” a General Samurai roared. Despite his threats, at least three groups ran off in terror of the impending attack. A couple of the Samurai turned and began firing on the fleeing men, but the leader grabbed one of them by the bore of his gun. “Save your ammunition, you fools. They will get what’s coming to them,” he hissed as he turned to the masses. “Present Godstones! Now!”

As the command was relayed down the field, every high ranking soldier reached into their armour and pulled out hundreds of quartz-like crystals. The demons rushing down the valley hesitated. The sheer number of the stones set their hair on end. In one blinding collective, blue light burst from the Samurai lines. Battle cries morphed into shrieks of pain. However, like the humans, they persisted. Three armies collided, and the drums boomed off the mountains.

That was how it began.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Kohaku accepted Lord Masao’s commission, it had been entirely out of curiosity. He’d followed his orders to join with the army, and wait until they acted to move on his commands. Kohaku knew he was on the wrong side, knew that this was just another power-hungry Warlord looking to overpower a defenceless village. However, even he didn’t know the extent of it until the first volley rang out. Watching the battle from above on Kirara’s back, he watched in horror as the field descended into madness. The demons flooded down the mountainside, and the moment the Godstones were taken out, Kirara had let out a pained yowl. They crashed ino the valley.

That had left Kohaku to wield his sickle one-handed, his other arm tucking the untransformed Kirara protectively against his chest. He’d told himself that if Lord Masao’s intentions were truly malicious, he had no problem in taking his payment and fleeing. It would be no mark on his morals. But, it wasn’t that easy. As the fighting began, Kohaku found himself in the thick of it. If he wanted out of his alive, he’d have to fight his way out. Again; cold as it seemed, it made no difference to him. His companion’s health and safety were more important than anything.

Kohaku yanked on his sickle chain with a firm grip, and the bone weapon changed direction mid-air. Three farmers were knocked off their feet with the blunt end, while sharper side came around and sliced through the calf of a soldier. Another tug sent the curved blade soaring into the shoulder of another samurai. Finally, the weapon returned to his hand. Kohaku kicked off the ground in a backflip, landing just a few feet away from where he’d been standing. A villager fell from a gunshot wound in his place. Kohaku didn’t have time to feel remorse. It would haunt him later but not now.

The air around him spiked with a crackling demonic energy. Kohaku spun around, his sickle lashing out at the assumed enemy. The sound of bone hitting metal rang in his ears as his sickle was thrown back to him. The blunt end hit him in the gut, sending him on his back. Kohaku had no time to recover before his attacker was looming over top of him. Sessomaru held the bakusaiga at his side as he approached, his eyes piercing and stoic as he stared down at the young man.

“Do not move,” he said.

Kohaku was in no frame of mind to respond. Suddenly, his orders to find and kill the demon army’s leaders were that much more sinister.

Not sparing a second glance at the young demon slayer, Sesshomaru snarled and lashed out at the samurai trying to close in on him. Godstones cast their incessant blue light from every angle, surrounding him entirely. Sesshomaru erupted into a whirlwind of motion too quick for the human eye to follow. Green light crackled through the air as every strike left the samurai withering away on the ground. Staking the bakusaiga into the ground, Sesshomaru fell onto one knee, sweat clinging to his forehead. The sight alone was foreign enough to Kohaku to shock him out of his daze.

Clutching Kirara to his chest, Kohaku crawled toward the Inu Yokai. “Lord Sesshomaru-”

“Leave, Kohaku,” Sesshomaru snapped.

Kohaku hesitated. Sesshomaru had no patience for it. Grabbing the slayer by the back of his collar, claws nearly ripping through the fabric, Sesshomaru pushed off the ground. In one leap, the yokai soared up into the air dragging Kohaku with him to the summit of the hill on the opposite side of the valley from the mountains. Sesshomaru dropped Kohaku seven feet off the ground, practically tossing him down on his side. Kohaku coughed, the wind temporarily knocked from his lungs from the fall. When he caught his breath, Sesshomaru was standing over him. The leap had taken a toll on him, the slayer could see it in the way his implacable frame hunched under the weight of his own body.

Still, Sesshomaru retained his icy demeanour. “Stay out of this.”

There was no “do as you wish”, no “it does not make a difference to me” in his tone. Kohaku’s existence to Sesshomaru, the way the slayer saw it, had always been inconsequential. A convenience at times, and a meaningless fact at others. This, however, was a command, and there would be no arguing. Sesshomaru wasted no time on firm looks or threats. His words would be obeyed, without a doubt. Turning his back on Kohaku, Sesshomaru soared back down the valleyside, into the churning smoke.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Shippo had trailed only an hour behind the hoards before the battle began. He had the advantage of not moving great armies, entire clans weighed down by weapons trudging down from the mountains. When he returned to the human world, the wolf caves were empty. He stopped only to gather the things he’d left behind, his tricks and the few weapons he’d learned to wield at the Kitsune Monastery. It wasn’t much- a short blade, and a few throwing daggers, along with his mushrooms and leaves. He’d lost his spinning top a long time ago. No times to worry about that now, though. There was a bit of cooked food left in the caves, borderline rotten, but he ate what he could, and set off to find Koga and Sesshomaru. He’d seen the things the Godstone could do, shuddered to think about facing it again, but knew he had to do this.

It was what Inuyasha would have done. If he couldn’t be there to stop this slaughter, Shippo would. He would make him proud.

The trail wasn’t difficult to follow, considering that the Yokai had moved in massive herds down through the mountain range. Shippo followed them by air, and on foot when he was too exhausted. Hour by hour, he caught up, moving through the night and only sleeping when he was too fatigued to go on. The Yokai had a two day advantage on him, but he was making good time. Shippo had thought he really might catch them in time, until he smelt the gunpowder on the humid morning wind. Paws slipping through the freezing mud and slush, he sprinted up to the edge of a deep valley, and watched in horror as the three armies collided.

Shippo stood at the precipice and clenched his fists. His legs were shaking. Every instinct in his body told him that something unnatural and dangerous was happening here, and he should turn and flee. He was frightened. All he could see, as he squeezed his eyes shut, were the men in glistening armour marching on his Monastery, the ominous muzzles of their guns staring at the lines of teachers assembled outside to protect them. He’d watched through an open window, peeking over the edge, as the stones came out, and the blue glow lit up the outer walls, seeping in through every window and crack. He remembered the nauseating helplessness of having his life force sucked from his body. It had only made the explosions of the muskets louder. Bullets had ripped through the walls, and Shippo had only just managed to dodge out of the way and drag a few younger kitsune down to the ground before they were all shot. Their teachers screamed. The soldiers kicked through the doors and began pillaging the temples, kicking, beating, and the students-

A sob tore through Shippo’s chest. He’d seen hell open its jaws, and it didn’t compare to that massacre. He didn’t want to go through that again. He was _frightened,_ but if he didn’t at least try to stop this, he’d never be able to live with himself. Wiping his eyes with his forearm, Shippo took a few steadying breaths, and before he could change his mind, ran down into the valley. He wasn’t the pint-sized runt who clung to his friends’ shoulders when things looked rough anymore. He wanted to grow up. In the world he knew in, this is what that meant.

As Shippo ran down to the field, the thick of the battle seemed to rush up to meet him. The soldiers had the advantage of their gunfire, but their took time to load, and they weren’t experienced enough with the weapons to even out their fire. When the demons and the braver humans who stayed behind rushed at them, it became a free for all. Shippo dodged a samurai and a farmer grappling sword against shearing hook, stumbling again out of the way of a samurai cutting down two crow demons. Only steps away from that, three crow demons advanced on a samurai. Behind them, a farmer, out of fear was attacking a snake demon, who broke his staff in half and was strangling him unconscious. Shippo stumbled away, only to trip over a dead human, his eyes staring blankly up at the sky. Even the sun was blocked out by the fog of war, the smoke rolling off each gunshot. Shippo yelped and scrambled back, nearly trampled by a pack of snarling wolves moments later. He jumped to his feet and ran. He had to keep moving.

To the right side of the valley, closest to where Shippo had run down, a warn path lead toward the rice paddies. It would have been futile to try to battle in the swampy patches of land, however, the ditches would provide shelter for the time being. If he could hide there to catch his breath, he might be able to figure out a plan. Hurrying toward the paddies, Shippo braced himself to throw himself down and slide into the ditch. He would have been moments from safety if it weren’t for the samurai planting himself in the way. The warrior raised his sword and swiped down. Shippo rolled out of the way, drawing out his own blade, not even half the size. It was only just enough to block the next swing of his assailant. Pushing back with all his might, he managed to knock the samurai off balance, but couldn’t knock him down. The samurai persisted, attacking Shippo with heavy slices. Every swipe, aimed at the boy’s neck, his gut, his heart, his limbs, was wild and fueled by intolerable fear. Shippo met each attempt with equal desperation, the clangs of metal against metal seeming to drown out the battle. This man was going to kill him, he was going to kill him without a second thought if Shippo didn’t do something. Even at this distance, he could feel the draining effects of the Godstone. He was going to die.

In his panic, Shippo’s foot slipped into the muddy ditch. He fell back, his head hitting the bank. The samurai was on him instantly, his blade inches from the kitsune’s neck, stopped only by Shippo’s sword gripped in both hands. With the Godstone pulling at his soul from the centre of the battlefield, he was quickly losing strength. Shippo felt the razor edge of the blade graze his neck. Crying out, Shippo summoned all the strength he had and released a manic burst of foxfire. The samurai shouted as he was thrown back, the sword falling out of his hands.

Shippo leapt onto him, his heart racing and his blood hot. With a strangled roar, the boy raised his sword over his head to plunge into the samurai’s chest. For a long moment, with gritted teeth and bloodshot eyes, Shippo stared down at the samurai, and he stared back up at him. The kitsune’s chest heaved. His hands shook. In the samurai’s eyes, he could see a desire to live, a fear of what he didn’t understand. Shippo saw the deer in the snowy woods that he couldn’t kill. Biting back a cry, he kicked the samurai’s helmet off and brought the hilt of his sword down against his head. He only paused to see that he was still breathing before he was scurrying off down the field.

Shippo didn’t know how long it was. It could have been minutes, it could have been months. He learned quickly that he couldn’t take this battle on by himself, he couldn’t even raise his voice to stop it. So, he focused on finding people who could. Dodging between skirmishes, diving to the ground every time a gun squad cocked their muskets so as to miss the line of fire, he kept going. Shippo ran until he couldn’t feel his legs, and then he ran even faster. Blood gradually began to splatter thicker on his clothes and skin, until he wasn’t sure it wasn’t his anymore.

Then he saw Koga. It was as he was throwing fox fire at an attacking samurai that he caught sight of the fallen wolf leader about to be run through from behind. The demon could hardly lift himself up on his hands and knees, let alone keep fighting. Shippo ran at the samurai, blasting fox fire in his face to distract him before kicking him under the chin. The moment the threat fell back, Shippo ran and collapsed to his knees at Koga’s side. “You big idiot!” he shouted, hot tears pricking at his eyes. Shippo grabbed onto Koga’s shoulders. “Why couldn’t you just _listen_?!”

Koga only just seemed to hear him. The wolf demon stared down at the bloodstained patch of dead grass peeking through the snow. “We thought... I thought...” he shuddered. Shippo’s frown deepened as he bit the inside of his cheek. Koga had taken it brutally when his tribe was slaughtered. He couldn’t imagine how he was dealing with the carnage he’d lead them into now.

Cursing under his breath, Shippo looked around them. The battle was growing more and more heated, the sounds of gunfire and demonic howling and screaming injured building to a deafening crescendo. They were as good as dead if they stayed there like that. Shippo tugged and pulled at Koga desperate to coax him to move. “Come on! We have to go! Koga, move!” Shippo pleaded, his feet slipping through the icy mud in vain. “Please!”

“I thought...” Koga murmured senselessly. His eyes were vacant.

Shippo’s heart caught in his throat. “Koga, please!”

Finally, his begging seemed to get a reaction. With a heavy groan, Koga lifted himself up, the Goraishi danging off his listless hand. Grabbing his forearm, Shippo guided him through the chaotic battlefield, weaving between skirmishes until they made it to a large boulder at the incline of the mountain. “Stay here,” Shippo panted as he leaned back against the rock to catch his breath.

Koga shook his head. “I can’t just hide... my men, I have to do something-”

“You’ve done enough,” Shippo hissed.

The wolf demon stared down at Shippo in shock and mild horror. It was the last thing he’d even expected to hear from him. The boy was shaking, he was covered in blood, and holding onto his feeble little sword like it was the only thing keeping him alive. The boy was a stranger. Releasing a long breath, Koga let his head fall back against the rock, and said nothing more.

When Shippo caught his breath, he shifted to the edge of the boulder. Peaking out from behind it, he scanned the field, not knowing what he was really looking for. “I’m gonna try to find someone who can help,” he seethed, “since you’re not much use.” With nothing else but a glare, Shippo steeled himself and ran back out into the battle. He found one culprit for this meaningless fight, and it was clear now that he was too out of his mind to help stop it. Maybe if he found the other...

Shippo knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. Even as he pushed himself into a sprint, he could feel his mind clouding over, his legs threatening to give out with every step. His throat burned, as if the Godstones were robbing the air from his lungs. Without the energy left to fight, Shippo focused on running through the battlefield unseen. Likewise the demon hoard was beginning to faulter heavily, the effects of the crystal finally wearing them down. All around him, demons and villagers dropped to the ground, the explosions of the gunsfire so louder and unending that Shippo wasn’t sure if he was hearing screams, or if his ears were ringing.

A burst of green lightning not far down the field caught Shippo’s attention. He had no doubt who it was. Pushing himself onward, Shippo changed course toward the emerald light. He skidded to a stop just in time to watch as a squad opened fire on Sesshomaru. The Inu Yokai lashed out with his sword, deflecting musket balls mid-flight - but only some. A small portion drove him into the demon’s flesh, penetrating his skin and making him _bleed_ like a mortal man. Sesshomaru gritted his teeth, fangs bared, as he struggle to stay on his feet.

All the while the sickening blue glow of the crystals grew and grew through the black powder smoke. It was as if with every shot, Masao’s samurai grew stronger. The blue glow and the smoke alike spread over the valley, oppressing the golden rays of the sun trying to pierce through. Shippo watched as the soldiers lined up another volley at the unstable Sesshomaru. Shippo’s hope plummeted.

Then came the roar. One voice made the stone on the mountain tops shake, reverberating all the way down through the valley. One single howl was enough to make all movement on the battlefield freeze.

Shippo felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Watching as Sesshomaru lifted his head to the mountain pass with a twitch in his brow that cried disbelief, Shippo followed his gaze. Standing at the crevice between two mountain faces, a gigantic white dog, entirely translucent and glowing crimson, lowered its head to look down on the gruesome battlefield. The sun eclipsed through its eyes. Underneath the spectre, the silhouette of a man in red, glowing robes cast his shadow down the hillside. Shippo stared in complete awe as Inuyasha slowly drew out his sword. The fang transformed in a blaze of gold. As Inuyasha opened his mouth in a battle cry, so did the dog, raising one voice as he charged down the valley.

With the monstrous phantom speeding toward them, the samurai barked out trembling orders “Reform the line! Move!” Any soldier left willing or able to obey got into formation, one rank kneeling, the other standing. Their leaders barked and shrieked at their men to finish loading their weapons, but before they could fire, Inuyasha was there. Swinging his sword down the wind scar cut a divide between the samurai, and the demons and humans. The samurai dropped their weapons to shield themselves from the blast.

“Don’t just stand there! Open fire!” The General Samurai screamed. “Now!” Gripping onto his Godstone for dear life, the samurai held out his crystal against the coming yokai. The other officers of the ranks did the same, hands trembling.

Inuyasha walked slowly through the golden afterglow of the wind scar. As one light faded, another grew brighter, giving away to the red glimmer surrounding him. The phantom dog mimicked his movements from behind. The General’s face paled, knuckles turning white around the crystal. Inuyasha snarled as he approached, an identical Godstone swinging from his neck, blinding the enemy with a fiery crimson.

Inuyasha stopped inches away from the General’s face. Lashing out, he grabbed the man by the neck and lifted him high off the ground, his claws digging ruthlessly into his neck. “You. Lose,” he growled. Inuyasha slammed him down onto the ground, a crater breaking open on impact. “And tell your Lord.”

It happened that fast. Without so much as a bead of sweat or a grimace under the power of the Godstone that had debilitated an entire hoard, Inuyasha pushed the samurai to retreat out of fear alone. For the first time since their Almighty Lord Masao began his conquest for unity and purity, a demon stood strong against the Godstone, unaffected and unafraid.

Inuyasha watched as the long lines of beaten soldiers trudged back up the valley, his back taught and focus singled in on that one spec disappeared over the horizon. It was only when they had disappeared from view that he seemed to return to normal. The crystal’s crimson light faded, along with the spectre of the dog looming behind him. Inuyasha turned, rushing over the scars he’d made in the ground to find Shippo. The second he saw the boy, he was skidding down onto his knees in the dirty slush, pulling him into his arms. “Fucking _Hell_ Shippo! Why did you- shit, are you hurt? Why did you run off?! You could have been killed! Fuck, I thought-”

It only took Inuyasha holding him for Shippo to break down entirely. Slumping against the hanyou, Shippo sobbed until he couldn’t breathe, clinging to Inuyasha as the terror caught up with him. Inuyasha didn’t tease him. He didn’t tell him to man up, or that everything was okay now, so he didn’t need to cry. Not even the fact that Sesshomaru was watching changed his behaviour. Like the night he found the boy under the rubble of his monastery, Inuyasha just let him cry. It could have been his imagination, but Shippo could have sworn that Inuyasha’s breathing was just a little uneven too.

Afternoon shadows were stretching over the valley by the time Inuyasha, Koga, Sesshomaru, and Shippo found themselves together again. Inuyasha didn’t say a word about the monumental mistake Koga and Sesshomaru had made, leading their allies into this slaughter. It wasn’t necessary, not yet anyway. Slowly, the able-bodied began to search out their wounded and fallen commrades, both demons and humans alike. The aftermath settled in like a suffocating weight in the air.

Sesshomaru reached out to examine the crystal hanging around Inuyasha’s neck without regard for space. Inuyasha didn’t argue it as his elder brother squinted down at the opaque object. “You channelled part of your soul into the Godstone,” he stated after a long silence.

Inuyasha nodded, taking the crystal back and running his thumb over the jagged edge. “Yeah... it was something that Dad said that gave me the idea. Something about holding onto what I love so no one can take it from me. About balancing myself. If I put a piece of myself in what’s trying to hurt me, it loses its power. At least that was what I figured. Seems to be working so far.”

Sesshomaru made no comment. The brothers stared at each other in silent affirmation.

“Inuyasha?” Shippo whispered from his side. The kitsune had barely said a word since the battle ended. His own gaze was fixed uneasily at the horizon. The moon was just beginning to peek over the mountains. “You don’t think this ended anything, do you?”

“No,” Inuyasha replied. He lifted his chin, eyes narrowing in a challenge at a distant, invisible enemy. “But it will send a message.” Resting his hand on the boy’s shoulder, Inuyasha held him close against his side. “And Shippo, what you did was very brave... and I never want to see you have to be that brave again.”


	29. Chapter 29

Winter passed. That final snowstorm blanketed the land, and when it settled, the warm winds came down. Kagome remembered the morning she had walked outside her hut, and under the melting snow, she could smell soil – like the earth yawning, sweet fragrant air. For a month, the snow levels dropped from the height of her calves to her ankles, flowing in icy streams toward the rivers and rice fields. The air still bit at her nose and cheeks with cold – but the wind was warm.

Spring saw the number of soldiers around the village increase. Every morning it was the same, from the drum calling their entrance to their overcrowding the streets, and their lewd comments. Even those villagers that had welcomed them in the beginning seemed to grow tired of them. Little by little, the tension in the village grew. Any day, or even any hour, that the soldiers didn’t spill down into the village meant fresh air. Those first clear days of the season, thankfully, were spent away from the village center. Now that the ground was thawed and the winter stores were dwindling down, most time was spent in the rice paddies, in the fields, and in the gardens planting crops and herbs.

Spring didn't come all at once. It never does. Days of bitter cold were broken up by rainy mornings when fog would shroud the village. Kagome would stand in the doorway of her hut, with the warm fire crackling behind her, and the cool breeze brushing over her face. Those days were her favourite. They were silent. She would cradle a cup of steaming green tea in her hands and lean against the door frame. The fog was so thick she couldn't see the fortress up the mountain

Little by little, the cold retreated to the snowcaps of the mountains, shrinking up the rocky hillsides. The mud hardened. Grass sprouted. Kagome had walked out one morning barefoot just to stand in the garden. When Takuya had come out to ask her what she was doing, she had said that she loved the scent of chlorophyll in the air when the plants began to grow again. He'd told her that he didn't know what Clor was or how it filled the air, but she was going to get sick if she kept doing that when it was still wet out.

Sango was showing. Rin guessed her at about six months, two months when she first told them since there was really no way to tell. The girl was extremely knowledgeable about being a midwife, and in turn was teaching Kagome - ever patient in departing what she'd learned from Kaede.

As the warmth came back, so did Kagome's training with Takuya. She was more or less responsible for her full duties by now, running the Shrine with the priest, but every day there was something new to learn. Or so he insisted.

The quiet melancholy that had enveloped Kagome all winter slowly began to seep away. However, even on lively nights with Miroku and Sango over with the kids, crowded into their small hut with laughter filling the room, Rin noticed that Kagome's gaze would drift longingly toward the door. Between gaps in the swaying doormat, she would look out past the horizon, to the forest, waiting for a lantern to glide into the stars.

It had been months since Inuyasha had last come back. When Rin asked, Kagome told her that she wasn't worried, that she knew Inuyasha could take care of himself, but it wasn't entirely convincing. Rin could tell. She missed him. Winter had made travel difficult no doubt, but that didn't seem to bring much comfort.

Rin found Kagome in a similar state late one night, standing on the top of the Shrine stairs. She had a shawl draped over her shoulders and down to her knees to keep warm.

Kagome looked down at the younger girl as she saw her climbing up the stairs. "Rin, where's your shawl? It's still cold enough to get sick," Kagome admonished as Rin raced up the final stretch.

"It's okay, the walk up the steps kept me plenty warm," Rin smiled, only to shiver not five seconds after.

Kagome rolled her eyes, laughing nonetheless as she opened her own shawl. Rin's smile grew wider. She hurried over, standing with her back against Kagome so the priestess could wrap her arms and the thick blanket around the both of them.

Rin snuggled back against her. Behind them, a soft murmur of voices drifted from the walls of the shrine house, followed by quiet bells and slight movement. Rin looked back at the shrine house. The lamps inside were dark, but small flames flickered through the windows. Even from this distance, it was difficult to tell that there was anyone inside. "How long have they been inside?"

"A while now, they should be done soon. You could go to bed if you're tired, I don't mind cleaning up on my own," Kagome replied.

Rin shrugged. "That's alright, I'm not tired," she yawned. "I'm glad they have somewhere to pray. But I always thought that Buddhists didn't normally pray in groups like this, only on special occasions."

"That's right," said Kagome, "but because all of their idols have to be hidden, and it's so dangerous to be caught doing Buddhist prayers, they're coming together at one time to protect themselves. Miroku was telling me before they went in that it felt odd because it is such an individual faith. Even growing up in a temple, he'd never lead prayer or meditation like this. It is nice, though. There is more solidarity between them as a group. Strangely enough, I think the village is getting along better than it ever did before."

"Mhm," Rin nodded, her thoughts already drifting off. "You were looking at the forest again."

The corner of Kagome's lips turned up. "Didn't know that was a crime."

"You're waiting for him?"

"Not really," Kagome sighed. "If I was waiting for him all the time, I'd drive myself crazy. I'm just... watching. Not anticipating anything."

Rin nodded, pretending she understood. "You miss him?"

"A lot."

"I bet he misses you too."

"He'd better."

That got a laugh out of the both of them. Kagome tickled Rin's sides under the confines of their blanket, causing the girl to squeal and squirm her way out of Kagome's hold. As she stumbled away, the shrine house doors opened, and a trickle of villagers spilt out and toward the stairs. Kagome and Rin stepped aside to allow them by, saying their goodnights and accepting the gratitude of the Buddhists as they passed. Miroku was the last one out, with Umeko clinging to the side of his robe. The other twin and toddler were both with their mother at home (Sayuri didn't like to sit still for too long, while Umeko loved to sit with her Daddy and listen).

Kagome met Miroku with a warm hug. The Monk still smelled of incense. Miroku returned it with a strong squeeze. "Thank you again, Kagome."

"It's no trouble," Kagome said as they parted. "I just wish this wasn't needed.'

"As do I," Miroku replied as he watched the villagers trickle back to their homes in the dark. "But we will do what is necessary until Masao is gone." Kagome remained silent. It didn't go unnoticed by Miroku. "Something wrong?"

Kagome chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, turning over her shoulder. "Rin," she called, "if you get started on just sweeping, you can go to bed without me and I'll finish up."

Despite her earlier argument that she wasn't tired and wanted to help, Rin could hear the undertone in Kagome's voice. Any argument she had fall silent off her tongue as she nodded and headed into the

shrine house.

Once the girl was out of sight, Kagome's gaze drifted back to the Monk, and out to the forest. "Until Masao is gone, you said..." she played with the ends of her hair. "It's just... we do what is necessary, yes, but I still just can't understand how he could possibly separate Shintoism and Buddhism. Sometimes even I don't know where one begins and the other ends."

"I'm sure he has some insane justification," Miroku replied. "But that justification has no place here, or anywhere. Masao is such a bastard, I'm sure there is resistance in every village he's taken." Kagome laughed, though quiet and slightly bitter. Miroku did the same. "Progress is slow, but it is progress. Any way we can defy him is something."

With that Miroku said his goodnights and hefted his half-asleep daughter into his arms. Kagome watched him carry her down the stairs to the shrine before her eyes slowly rose toward the forest. Gaze

lingering, Kagome turned back toward the Shrine house. 

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

That morning was the first time in months that Kagome woke up warm. That sunlight slipped through the cracks at the closed window, pooling on the blankets, her skin, the floor. Still drifting on a slow current of sleep, Kagome stretched, sighed, and curled up on her mat. Across the room, the dogs, both piled o top of Rin, did the same with soft whines. Outside, bird and scattered voices sounded the start of the day. Kagome didn't fall asleep so much as wad back into it, the sounds around her growing faint and distant.

So, it was no wonder that he didn't hear when Takuya came inside, hefted a water bucket over his head, and dumped it on her. Kagome jolted up with a screech, sputtering as she pushed her soaking hair out of her face.

"Takuya!" she coughed.

The old priest stood unphased by her indignance. "You slept in," he shrugged.

Kagome groaned, standing up the escape the puddle she'd been sitting in. "I thought we were over this."

"Just be glad I didn't do it in the winter," he grinned. "I'm not entirely heartless."

Wringing out her kimono sleeves, Kagome glared at her teacher. “Has there ever even been a point to this? Some training secret, ancient tradition?”

Takuya shook his head. “No, don't be stupid. It's just the quickest way to get you up in the mornings.”

He left at that, with the silent expectation that she follow when ready.

Kagome glared, pouted, at Takuya's retreating back, her hair dripping on her face, clothes dripping on the floor. On the other side of the room, Rin was sat up, and giggling at her. Kagome wrung out her hair on her head.

The two of them soon dried off, dressed, and went out. Takuya had breakfast ready in his hut next door. They ate quickly, Kagome pointedly ignoring Takuya's attempts at conversation for the first ten minutes. When breakfast was cleared, it was out to the shrine. Routine. Monotonous. Comforting in some ways and frustrating in others.

By early afternoon, chores at the shrine were finished. It was never much, just sweeping, cleansing rituals, a few modest offerings and the like. In all honesty, most of the work was to make sure that the Buddhists' belongings weren't found in the storehouse, and that all evidence of their praying on Shrine grounds carefully swept away. It had been going well these past few months, but they could not afford to take for granted that they would not be caught.

The moment they were finished, Rin was off to catch up with friends, a few girls were who going to teach her how to plate her hair, while she taught them to catch fish with their hands in the stream. She'd been chattering on about it nonstop all morning. Kagome, however, took a moment to lean against her broom and look down over the village. Though work in the fields had begun, the trees were still bare, the grass brown and world surrounding them colourless. She closed her eyes, breathing in the warm breeze. The air was fresh, scented with the promise of green buds, but there was still a ways to go.

Enough reminiscing about the warm weather, she decided. For now, at least. She always got so nostalgic in the spring.

Putting her broom away, Kagome headed down the steps and into the village. The market was beginning to fill up, she realised with subdued glee. Just a few stray carts selling the final stores of last year's rice, perfumes, pottery. It would be months until there was any food to sell. Kagome passed through the street, stepping over mud puddles and smiling at the villagers who bowed her good mornings.

"Lady Kagome," someone called from behind her. It was the old farmer who she'd spoken to at the midnight meeting of village Buddhists in the winter. Kagome stopped and smiled, bowing in greeting before popping up again. The previously disgruntled man gave her a minuscule but warm smile in return. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm doing wonderfully, thank you. Enjoying the sun," she said. "And you?"

"Fine, just fine," the farmer replied. They began to walk toward the centre of the sparse market. "It is nice to feel the sun again, isn't it?"

Kagome nodded, sending and odd side glance at her momentary companion. She was on friendly terms with fairly well everyone in the village, but this man had never exactly been the talkative type. "Yes, it is."

"Now that spring is here, the roads have cleared up," he commented, keeping a casual gaze forward. "Travelling is easier again. News travels just as quickly," the farmer bowed his head respectfully to a passing soldier, then subtly diverted their course down a less populated path. "In fact, just this morning I heard from a merchant a remarkable story of a village that," he cleared his throat, "dared to stand against Lord Masao's army some weeks ago. Just as soon as a bloody battle began, a hoard of demons seemed to charge in to interfere. They were more interested in Masao's army than the villagers, it seems. Of course, they were no match for the Godstone. Or at least most of them weren't."

Kagome listened intently, keeping her gaze forward as well. The tension and secrecy rolling off the old farmer made her throat tight and her heart beat just a little faster. "Is that so?"

The farmer nodded. "Yes. As the merchant told me, apparently there was, at the height of the battle, a tremendous howling that roared through the valley. The fighting stopped, and between the mountains, the apparition of an enormous white dog came appeared. It came down the hillside, and was not affected by the Godstone," he stopped then, eyeing a few soldiers who peered at them from the other end of the path. "What an unfortunate turn of events."

Kagome, not daring to look behind her for fear of looking suspicious, kept on a concerned and shocked facade. "Yes, let's hope that creature doesn't come back any time soon."

With a smile in her eyes and a silent thank you, Kagome parted, heading back toward the village centre and the market place. She did not know if that farmer, or anyone who had heard Rin's slip that night, suspected what she and Inuyasha were doing - or that Inuyasha was alive at all. Maybe it would be safer if she didn't know. Regardless, that information struck a chord with her, sometimes she couldn't shake until she made it to the market again.

Lost in her thoughts amoung the meagre yet lively crowd, Kagome nearly passed the stall. If it weren't for the bright colours, she might have ignored it entirely, but the vibrancy and the intricate designs caught her eye. Kagome stopped and looked back over her shoulder to see a modest little stall all strung up with lanterns.

A spark burst in Kagome's chest. She walked toward the stall in a sort of trance, fingertips reaching up to brush against the ink painted onto the accordion paper surrounding one of the lanterns.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" grunted the merchant woman. She sat on a small blanket beside the cart, working away at embroidering.

"Yes," Kagome smiled breathlessly when she found her voice again. "Where did they come from?"

"Not too sure," she shrugged. "I bought them off another merchant on the other side of Fuji, who said he got them from some young artisan in the north. Apparently, he is some sort of traveller, I've seen the same work sold to a few different merchants working their way south, now."

Kagome pursed her lips to keep from grinning. "Well, he seems to be a busy man."

The merchant gave her an odd look. "I suppose so."

Reaching into the fold of her kimono, Kagome pulled out a small drawstring pouch. A few small coins fell into her palm. "Should this be enough for that one?" she asked, pointing to the lantern that had caught her eye. It was salmon coloured, with dark vines and red flowers crawling outwards. Looked like someone else had been thinking a lot of spring.

The merchant took the money and inspected it in her hand before nodding and looking back to her embroidery. Kagome could hardly contain herself as she took the lantern down and walked back to the outskirts of the village with it swinging at her side.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When Takuya returned to Kagome's hut that evening, there was a lantern hanging at the apex of the roof, just over the door. The pretty little thing was lit with one small flame, dancing in the light wind. He shook his head as he ducked beneath it to get inside. "Kagome, what is that?"

Looking up from the fish she was cooking, the young woman shrugged. "That would be what we call a lantern, Takuya. Perhaps you've heard of them."

Takuya shot her a look. "Yes, I know it is a lantern. It just seemed like a silly thing to spend your money on," he said as he slipped out of his shoes and stepped up onto the floor.

Kagome smiled to herself as she looked back to the spit she was using to roast. "Well, I think that sometimes it's nice to treat yourself to silly little things like that."

Takuya's eye narrowed as he sat down beside her. "You're hiding something."

"Not hiding anything," was Kagome's sing-song reply. "You're just not asking the right question."

"Then what is this right question?"

"Not that."

"Spare me."

The priestess laughed. "It's one of Inuyasha's," she said. Lifting the lid off the pot hanging over the fire, Kagome dished out a ladle full of broth and rice noodles, before sliding a piece of cooked fish on top. She passed the bowl to her teacher.

Takuya accepted the bowl with a frown. "One of whose what?"

"The lantern," Kagome rolled her eyes. She kept her voice quiet, conspiratory and thrilled. "I found it in the market today. The merchant said it came from a young artisan in the North."

Takuya nodded, finally catching on. He raised the bowl to his mouth. "And you're certain it's Inuyasha's?"

Kagome nodded without a moment's hesitation. Her gaze shifted longingly toward the door, where she could see the glow between slits in the door mat. "I'm sure. I can recognise his work anywhere."

"Well, if you wanted one of his lanterns, why not just wait until you saw him next? I'm sure he would make you one."

"He'd make me a thousand if I asked," Kagome replied as she dished out her own meal. "That's not the point. The point is..." she trailed off. "The point is that some part of him made it back to me without either of us knowing it. I saw the lantern in the market, and I knew that he was safe wherever he is, and thriving, and thinking of me."

"Thinking of you?"

Kagome smiled at him. "Call it intuition." Finding that she just couldn't sit still, Kagome set her meal down and rose to her feet, walking and spinning in aimless circles around the hut. "Takuya, for the first time in so long I feel like there's something more to look forward to. More than the drums in the evening, telling the soldiers to go home, or even the next lantern over the horizon. I feel like there's something beyond that. Maybe it's just the weather, I don't know, but - I feel like something is starting, for the better. There's something beyond all of this."

Takuya watched her fondly. "This is a welcome change in you, Kagome. I'm glad to see you have your spirit back."

Kagome ended up at the door, peering through the door mat. The setting sun threw bars of light and shadow over her face. "I know," she sighed. "The past few months... they were hard. I always had hope that things would get better, but sometimes the hope wasn't enough. I was - depressed, I guess. Everything around me was dead, and sometimes I felt the same."

"But now?"

Kagome turned back to her teacher. "But now, it's like you said. I have my spirit back. I'm taking action, even if it's in a small way, and it feels good."

Takuya was silent for a long moment. He seemed to study her with a soft gaze, with the golden light of the early evening shooting into the hut like muted beams. Then, without explanation, he set his half eaten bowl aside and stood, walking toward Kagome at the door. "I will be right back. Wait here," he said as he passed her.

Kagome was left more than a little perplexed. Her teacher was an odd man, that much she was quite used to, but even this was unlike him. However, her mood was too high to let it bother her. Returning to the fire, Kagome picked up her own bowl and began to eat. She had just finished her meal by the time Takuya returned.

"Do you have water boiling?" Takuya asked as he bustled inside, carrying something in his robe.

Kagome blinked. "I- yes, of course, I do. We always have tea after dinner."

"Good, good. Now just let me- where are-" The priest began rummaging through the low cupboard against the back wall.

Kagome frowned, reaching down beside her to pick up what she assumed he was looking for. "The teapot and cups?"

Pulling his head out of the cupboard, Takuya looked at her hands. "Yes! Why didn't you say you had them?"

"You didn't give me the chance."

"No matter," Takuya waved her off. He returned to his previous seat at the fire pit, adjacent to her. "This is just perfect," he said as he reached into his robe. Takuya pulled out a wooden cylinder, the contents inside its hollow body rattling with his movements. He seemed almost excited.

"What is that?" Kagome asked.

Takuya pulled the lid off and let a green sphere roll out into his palm. It was small, made of dried leaves, and gave off a fragrance Kagome couldn't place. Taking one cup, he set it in front of his pupil and dropped the little ball into the centre. "Kagome, will you pour the water over it?"

"Sure," Kagome replied slowly as she took the kettle and carefully poured hot water into the cup. It could have been her imagination, but she could have sworn that the ball began to move. "You didn't answer my question. What is it?"

Takuya sat back, holding up the container for her to see. "These, Kagome, are Dragon Pearls," he answered. Rolling out a few more of the spheres into his palm, he held them out for her to see. "You remember that as part of your early training last summer, I had you practice healing energy on flowers and plants."

"Of course I do," Kagome nodded.

"This is tea made from the flowers that you grew, cared for, harvested, and dried. All while channelling pure thoughts."

Kagome's eyes widened. "I remember you rolling tea leaves last fall."

Takuya nodded. "I have been waiting a long time to give you these," he said as he held a pearl between his thumb and forefinger. "I wanted to give them to you when I felt you were ready. As a reminder that though something may appear dead, there is always new life to wait for. You must remember that there is balance in life and death, as in despair and hope, as in the seasons. Look," he gestured down to the cup. Beneath the steaming water, the green pearl was beginning to unfurl its leaves. "Winter can only last so long, Kagome. Spring is worth the wait. You had to learn that on your own."

Kagome nodded, entranced as she watched the leaves bloom. The hot water brought colour back into the leaves, slowly staining the water a pastel green while the leaves themselves became vibrant. Finally, the last layer uncurled, and a beautiful jasmine flower blossomed in the basin of the cup. Its petals were the purest white. It looked like it could have been picked just yesterday.

"Takuya... I don't know what to say," Kagome breathed.

"Don't say anything. Drink. It's very good," he smiled. "I used my finest batch of tea leaves."

It was very good. The taste was sweet, refreshing, flooding Kagome's senses with calm. She drank it over dinner, and again later that evening after pouring more water over the same pearl, wanted to get as much out of the few she had as she could.

Kagome leant against the wall outside her front door, holding the steaming cup close to her chest. The shawl draped over her shoulders kept out the chill as the sun set, but it didn't hurt to have a bit of extra warmth. Rin had returned about an hour ago, devouring her meal and almost immediately after passing out on her futon with the dogs piled on top of her. She had a lot of luck in her adventures that day if the messy braids in her hair and the fishy smell of her kimono hung up outside to dry said anything about it. She'd gushed to Kagome about the pretty lantern outside for just a few minutes before succumbing to exhaustion.

So, Kagome had a quiet evening. If it weren't for little moments of solitude like these, she'd never get a moment of peace. Raising the cup to her lips, Kagome sipped at her tea and felt the hot water slide down her throat. Above her, the lantern swayed and danced, the light inside flickering with every moment.

Takuya's words had a tremendous impact on her. She didn't mull them over or really think of them, so much as feel it in her every breath. It was calming. For the first time in a long time, Kagome was content.

Maybe that was why, when she spotted the speck of light rising up from the forest, she thought at first that it might be a star. As the light rose higher, Kagome slowly lifted her head along with it. As the lantern grew brighter, so did Kagome's smile.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Inuyasha could still see the lantern rising into the sky through the bare branches of the sacred tree. He leant back against the roots, stretching out against the cool park, gaze drifting between the distant point of light and the scar on the tree trunk above him. 50 years, he spent here, but a few months away felt like an eternity. It wasn't long before he became restless. Pushing himself up, he began to pace aimlessly just to pass the time.

It really did feel like more than just a few months. The last time he'd returned had been the winter solstice, the night he'd taken Kagome to the cave and - well, it'd been the hottest night of the winter, that was for sure.

Though he found himself reminiscing of the precious few times he'd been able to meet Kagome like this, he wasn't lost to the world entirely. Which was why, when a body leapt out and latched onto his back, Inuyasha didn't so much as twitch. He craned his neck to look back at the young woman currently piggybacking him with a savage grin on her pretty face.

"Gotcha!" she squealed.

"Yeah," Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he reached behind him and pulled her off, sliding her down in front of him. "You might have if I hadn't heard you hide in the bushes five minutes ago."

"No," Kagome shook her head. "I got you."

Inuyasha knew a lost cause when he saw one. He shrugged, arms sliding around her waist. "I'm totally at your mercy," he grinned.

Kagome was caught somewhere between laughing and crying. Her eyes glistened, lips quivered, as she threw her arms around Inuyasha's neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Inuyasha's hand rose to the back of her head, carding through raven tresses. Kagome sighed against his mouth. The two of them just - held each other. It was all they could do to keep themselves together, literally and figuratively.

When Kagome pulled back, she was starry eyed and breathless, smiling up at him. All, of course, before she smacked him lightly on his bicep. "Where the hell have you been?"

Should've known that was coming. "Busy. Dealing with shit. Making progress. And travelling in the snow was near impossible," he stumbled over his excuses.

Kagome's lips, slightly swollen and pink, formed a pout. "I guess that's fine... but I missed you."

Inuyasha's smile was subdued this time, a slow breath escaping him as he leant down to kiss her forehead. "I missed you too."

"You better have."

Inuyasha lifted a brow. "That so?" Inuyasha's attempt to grab her tightly was thwarted when Kagome squealed and ducked, slipping out of his grasp and attempting to 'run away'. Inuyasha quickly overtook her, tackling her to the ground beneath the tree. Kagome lay on her back, slightly out of breath, her heart racing for an entirely different reason. Once again, her arms shot out to pull Inuyasha to her, catching his lips with every intention of making up for lost time. Inuyasha seemed happy to oblige. His hand slide down to her hip, resting there as his knee came up between her legs. She laughed - not the reaction he'd expected.

Sliding out from beneath him, Kagome sat cross-legged against the trunk of the tree and tugged Inuyasha onto his back, so that his head rested in her lap. Inuyasha anticipated what she was doing, but it still didn't dull the tranquil shiver that ran dow his spine as she began to knead his shoulders.

Inuyasha let out a long sigh as he went slack to her touch. "Been a long time."

"Enjoy it then," Kagome hummed under her breath.

Inuyasha nodded, his eyes drifting closed as he focused on her ministrations. "Had a dream about this a while ago..." he mused. "You came into my room and the pillow became your lap. I could feel you just as real as right now."

Kagome's heart stuttered. Really, she shouldn't have been surprised. "You were in a castle... there was a standing lamp with one candle in the corner, but it was still dark. Shippo and Koga were arguing about something outside."

Inuyasha sat up, twisting around to look at her. She smiled. "I had the same 'dream'."

"So, that was you," he murmured.

"Mhm," Kagome leant forward for a peck. Pulling back, her smile melted into a frown, the memories seeping back to her. She lifted her hand to brush his fringe to the side. "You looked sick... what happened?"

Inuyasha hesitated. Lowering himself back into Kagome's lap, his gaze fixed on the stars. "Guess I should start from the beginning. After I left you the last time, I went back to the North to try to talk Koga out of starting a war. He was meeting with leaders of other clans, forming alliances... that was fine, but the damn idiot was fixated on a battle solving all of this. Anyway, we were hunting one morning, and Sesshomaru fucking blasts in out of nowhere-"

Kagome cringe. "Actually, that might have been my fault." Seeing Inuyasha's confusion, she continued. "He showed up in the village. Caused quite a scene, too. Rin helped me fool the soldiers into thinking I was going to slay him, and when we made it to the forest, I had to tell him what was going on. He didn't seem that happy when he left."

"He definitely wasn't happy," Inuyasha nodded. "He dragged us to the Inu Yokai castle and dropped me before their leader... his mother. At least I know now why Sesshomaru is so weird. There was this - trial that they both insisted I do, some Inu Yokai tradition. It was supposed to pit me against my greatest enemy and grant me ancient power or some bullshit. It - well, it kind of worked. I did it, and at the end," he reached into his haori, beneath his kimono where a Godstone lay against his chest, "I realised that the only way to overpower the Godstone was to make it a part of me."

Kagome frowned. Seeing that she didn't quite understand, he held the stone up to her. Its colour had changed, the previously icy blue now a searing crimson. The moment it touched Kagome's palm, the crystal pulsed with vibrant light, as if in recognition.

Inuyasha smiled. "Guess it always belonged to you."

Kagome's fingers slowly curled around the crystal. "You... you channelled your soul into the Godstone."

"Part of it," Inuyasha corrected. "Just which part exactly, I'm not sure."

Kagome leant over, holding the crystal as high as it would go on its chain so she could press a kiss to it. "It's so warm..."

"Well, that's to be expected, dummy. I've been carrying it against my chest for weeks."

"Not what I meant," Kagome rolled her eyes. She turned the crystal over in her hands a few times before tucking it back into his robes, her fingers lingering a moment against his chest before coming up to knead from his neck to his shoulders again. "So that was you. I heard a rumour about a dog apparition who fought against Masao's army and won. You're getting a reputation."

Inuyasha frowned. "I've always had a reputation."

"Yeah, well, technically you're supposed to be dead," she shrugged. "So, that's two reputations."

"Sweet."

Kagome laughed. "That must have been the battle that Koga and Shippo were arguing about in the dream, then... I was - I think I must have been spiritually charged or something. I'd just gone through a past life regression with Takuya-"

"You what?" Inuyasha interrupted, alarmed.

Kagome only nodded, her fingers moving up to the base of his skull. "I thought that maybe if I remembered my life as Kikyo, it might give us some clue. The spirits I've seen in the forest, the song, the quilt - it was like Kaede was pointing us toward something in her past, but I couldn't figure it out. I thought that Kikyo might have known..."

"And... did she?"

"Not exactly," Kagome sighed. "I learned a lot about her... what made her, y'know? In the end, though, it wasn't something she knew, it was something she heard," Kagome chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. Inuyasha's thumb was nudging it out before she realised she was doing it. She continued. "Kaede had a childhood friend named Masao."

Inuyasha's eyes snapped up to catch hers. "It can't be the same one. He looks like he's barely thirty."

"But - it is, I know it is, I just don't know how. It's not possible, I know, but... there's so much about him already that isn't possible."

"I guess," Inuyasha replied, eyes lulled by the massaging of his scalp. "Looks like we're getting somewhere, though."

"If only," Kagome sighed. Her fingers paused. "I mean, yes, we're making progress. But I'd like to get somewhere. I've been in this village for months with nowhere else to go. I'm going crazy just sitting around here. It's making me stir crazy."

Inuyasha chuckled under his breath. "That's funny," he muttered. "You're stir crazy... I'm homesick."

Kagome's expression fell. They were stuck on two opposite sides of the same problem - too far away from each other.

Inuyasha pushed himself upright without warning, rising to his feet and brushing the dirt and dead grass off himself. "Well, if you're stir crazy for a bit of space, why don't we go somewhere? The sun only just set, we have plenty of time to get back before dawn."

Kagome stood. "I thought you said you were homesick," she said. She figured he'd want to say here while he could.

Inuyasha's knowing looking look, however, said otherwise. Slipping his hand to the back of her neck, Inuyasha leant down to kiss her chastely. She hardly had a moment to understand, much less respond, before the hanyou pulled her onto his back. In a split second, they were off racing through the trees. It was all Kagome could do not to scream out of both surprise and delight as she clung to Inuyasha's shoulders. The wind as they moved was cold, nipping at her cheeks and the tips of her ears. Kagome huddled down against Inuyasha's back, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders.

She hadn't realised how much she missed the exhilarating feeling of flying through the forest on Inuyasha's back. The adrenaline rush made her chest tingle, pulsing through her entire body and making her head feel wonderfully light. It was a few minutes before Kagome got a hold of her senses enough to speak. "Where are we going?!"

"Don't know!" Inuyasha shouted back. "Haven't decided yet!"

They were a blur over the hillsides. Kagome caught a glimpse of Masao's Fort looming over the village. Just as quickly, it disappeared behind a low mountain peak. For however long they were travelling, Kagome's face became numb to the wind and the cold, even as she ducked her head down behind Inuyasha's. She didn't know how far they'd gone until Inuyasha suddenly skidded to a stop, and she was assaulted with the sound of distant waves. Kagome slid down off of Inuyasha's back, picking tried twigs out of her hair. "You might give me a bit of warning next time."

"Don't pretend you didn't like it," Inuyasha replied as he helped her brush out her hair.

"Besides the point," said Kagome. She stopped to look around. They were at the edge of a forest, not too far from home, she guessed. Through the line of bare trees, she could just barely see waves glistening in the clear moonlight, lapping up at the shore. Taking Inuyasha's hand, they walked out onto the sand.

"Is this enough space?"

Kagome walked out ahead of him, stretching her arms out to the bay. "I think this'll do."

Inuyasha watched her. She began to turn in slow circles, breathing like she'd been suffocating and hadn't noticed until now. Her head leant back, neck, smooth jawline, and porcelain face squared up against the stars. Arms wide like she could reach up and pull them against her chest.

Kagome ran her hands back through her hair. Gods, she glowed in the moonlight. "So, what now?"

Inuyasha shook himself from his reverie. "Figured we'd find something to pass the time," he sent her a smirk. "If not, we could always go back to the cave."

Kagome returned the flirtatious smirk, stepping up against him. "... I like the beach just fine."

Inuyasha shrugged, unfazed. "Worth a shot."

"Maybe late," Kagome laughed. Looking out across the wide expanse of curving shoreline, her eyes fell on a hut sitting not too far away. A small boat had been pulled up on the beach, sitting in the sand next to tangled nets and traps. "Come on, I've got an idea."

Inuyasha followed her to the boat, standing back with his arms crossed as she tried to push it toward the water. "You want to steal a boat?"

"It's not stealing," Kagome grunted. "It's - it's borrowing. We'll have it back be - before dawn, so - could you please quit standing there and help me with this?"

Finally relenting, Inuyasha lifted the boat single-handedly and carried it to the shoreline. They'd put it back exactly as they found it and no one would know. Harmless. Still, it gave Kagome a little thrill of excitement, of danger. She giggled quietly as she hopped into the wooden boat, taking the oars and helping Inuyasha push it into the water. He joined her with a splash. "Fuck, it's cold."

"So no tipping it," Kagome replied.

"Hadn't thought of that." Inuyasha took the oars from Kagome. They were soon gliding out over the gentle tide and onto the glassy bay. The water could have been a mirror. If it weren't for the shoreline nearly surrounding them, it would have been difficult to tell where the sky ended and the water began.

Kagome dipped her finger in the water, watching as a ripple glided out from her touch. It really was cold. Kagome tugged at her shawl. "It's so beautiful."

"Yes, you are," Inuyasha replied.

Kagome made a face. "Really? Did you really just say that? That was so cute I might throw up."

Inuyasha retaliated by flicking his finger through the water to spray a few droplets at her. Kagome shrieked, wiping herself off with her shawl. She glared at him from over the ridge of the fabric, falling victim to his smile. With a resigned sigh, she leant forward with her elbows on her knees. "We've changed so much," she mused.

"You think so? I wouldn't say that was much different from the usual," Inuyasha replied as he set the oars down.

"Not that, just - in general," said Kagome. "It's been a long year. I feel like we've - matured. Not sure I like it."

Inuyasha rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, maybe..." he trailed off. Kagome's attention had been drawn out toward the edge of the bay, where the water spilt out toward the ocean. "Kagome?" Following the direction of her gaze, Inuyasha's eyes landed in a strange shape gliding either through the air or the water. The bay was so calm, he couldn't tell. The stars parted ways for it. Tall sails billowed out, its massive body dotted with twinkling lamplight. "What is that?"

Kagome's face was hard. "It's a ship. People from a country very very far from here - the Dutch I think. They're the ones who come to sell guns. The Dutch, the Portuguese - all of them." Kagome stood abruptly, rocking the boat and forcing a shout out of Inuyasha as he tried to stabilise it. Her eyes searched for something, anything, in the bottom of the boat that she could use. A few broken fishing spearheads. She picked one up, reared her arm back and threw. It created a large ripple on impact with the water, but only landed ten feet from the boat.

Inuyasha quirked his brow up at her. "Try again, you only missed by a few leagues."

Kagome frowned down at him. "I know, but - it's the gesture. It's symbolic."

"Symbolic my ass," Inuyasha as he rose to his feet as well. "Sit down before you knock us over."

Kagome listened, taking up her seat again. When Inuyasha held his hand out, it took her a moment to connect the dots. She passed him one of the spearheads. With all the grace that she didn't have keeping the boat steady, Inuyasha reared back, took a moment to assess his target, and threw the sharp rock. A moment of silence passed before they heard the echo of it hitting the wood of the ship, following by a chorus of confused, foreign voices.

Kagome slapped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly. All pride and amusement, Inuyasha grinned as he took his seat across from her. That wouldn't do, though, Kagome shifted carefully across the bottom of the boat until she was leaning back against Inuyasha, stretching her legs out to keep the weight balanced. She pressed her head back against his chest. "Can we stay out here forever?" she muttered. "Just float away?"

Inuyasha pressed his mouth to the top of her head, as he reached for the oars. He began to row them back to shore. "Maybe next time."


	30. Chapter 30

Inuyasha covered his nose with his sleeve. Claws digging into the bark of the tree serving as his perch, he gazed down at the modest rural village. A humble collection of huts, bathhouses, a market, and a shrine, it sat in a shallow dip between the forest and a rolling hillside stretching on toward denser woods. The western mountain range rose up behind him. It was a mining village, nothing entirely remarkable on its own. In contrast to the quaint town, the fortress that rose up on the adjacent hillside, clinging to a stone cliff over the mines, stood out ugly and out of place.

Behind the fortress, the forest had been cut down to the stumps, a barren wasteland stretching over the hills. Everything behind it was dead, not even grass able to grow between the remnants of the woods. Heavy smoke with a metallic stench rose in thick plumes from a massive group of buildings. The dark peaks of their rooftops disappeared in the polluted air. It clung heavily to what was left of the forest, turning the branches and leaves black. Inuyasha pulled his hand away from the bark, soot coating his palm. His lips curled, but he didn’t dare try to rub it off on his robes. His clothing would stink for days.

Narrowing his eyes at the fortress, Inuyasha spotted a line of soldiers pushing on villagers as they guided their ox-led carts toward the larger, smoke spewing structures. Their flags bored the new symbol of the Takeda. From the other side, stacks of muskets were being sent away in convoys. The crystal hanging from his neck pulsed with searing, crimson light. Inuyasha lowered his clean hand to clutch it. The light calmed. Huffing once more at the sight of the baren hillside, Inuyasha pushed off the tree and raced back through the forest.

The trees thinned out as they met a stoney riverbed. Inuyasha slowed to a stop, kneeling beside the stream to dip his hands in and wash the grime away. He splashed the clean water over his face, scrubbing it over his nose and mouth just for good measure. As he knelt there, movement to his right caught his eye. A little forest spirit, the size of a rabbit, emerged from the forest. The transparent creature, with no form other than the shape of a body emitting a soft glow, stumbled its way toward the water carrying the stem of a sapling. Its leaves were no larger than Inuyasha’s claws, already as shriveled and browned as its dangling roots. The forest spirit wadded into the shallow of the water and stuck the baby tree into the course sand. As the creature let go, the sapling tipped over and was carried off by the current. The spirit made a soft noise of disappointment, before returning to the forest. Inuyasha plucked the sapling from the water as the river carried it in front of him.

“You done, or what?” A gruff voice said from beside him. Inuyasha turned his head up just as Koga’s shadow fell over him.

Inuyasha tossed the sapling back into the river and pushed himself up. “Don’t rush me, jackass,” he grunted as he stood. “Yeah, I’m done.”

Koga crossed his arms. “Is it them?”

Inuyasha didn’t reply. Not out of a somber understanding of what was happening on the other side of the forest, or hatred toward his companion. He just knew it got on Koga’s nerves. Had to get his entertainment somehow these days. Leaping over to the other bank of the stream, Inuyasha heard Koga’s frustrated growl and following jump as he joined him. The two made their way into a thin canyon between the tall cliffs lining the river bank. Around a sharp bend, the canyon opened up, revealing a massive army of demons.

Sesshomaru was at the bend, waiting for Inuyasha to return with as much distance between himself and the rest of the army. As soon as Inuyasha appeared, he stood up straighter, waiting in silence for his brother to speak. Several other leaders from the other demon tribes soon pushed their way to the front.

Inuyasha glanced back over his shoulder once before turning to speak to them. “It’s got Masao’s stink on it, no doubt,” he said.

“So, the rumours were true,” the Tengu Princess nodded. She shifted under the weight of her armour, but wore it with a proud stance. Her mother had been killed in their first encounter with this Warlord’s armies. That fire still burned in her voice. “This is where the weapons are born. We must burn the entire foresaken village to the ground.”

“We leave the village out of it,” Inuyasha snarled. Her three black eyes glinted in rage. Inuyasha stood his ground. “From what I could see, Masao’s men are forcing the village to create the muskets using their mine. I’ve told you. We leave the innocent humans alone.”

The Chief of the Boar Demons stepped in. “Our quarrel is only with the Warlord and his men. The village will remain untouched so long as they do not fight against us.”

Knowing that was as good as he was going to get, Inuyasha nodded. “I’ll go in first. As soon as the soldiers draw out the Godstones, I’ll get the crystals away from them. When you hear the howling, attack.” Turning to the assembled leaders, including Sesshomaru and Koga, he fixed them ease with a resolute glare. “Spare anyone who wants nothing to do with the fight. Remember, many of these men were forced to become soldiers.” Inuyasha knew that they thought him soft. That they scoffed about his tactics when his back was turned, but he didn’t care. He would have nothing to do with any demons that attacked humans without provocation. So long as they listened to him, he didn’t give a damn if they liked him.

The leaders agreed, albeit some of them reluctantly. As they dispersed to pass the message along to their warriors, Inuyasha spotted a tuft of red hair behind them. Shippo watched Inuyasha with a grin. Giving the boy a thumbs up, Inuyasha turned and made his way back toward the river. He didn’t get more than two steps around the bend before the Crow Princess spoke. She hadn’t moved from her spot yet, arms crossed.

“There are no innocent humans,” she muttered, staring Inuyasha down for a long moment before stalking off to her people. Inuyasha did not turn to watch her leave. Eyes glued toward his path, he steadied himself and walked on. Emerging from the canyon, Inuyasha reached up and grabbed the Godstone around his neck. As a brilliant red light burst out, the image of an enormous spirit dog materialized around him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kagome stretched out on her futon with a long yawn, arms above her head, spine arching, and toes curling beneath her blanket. Turning over on her stomach, she buried her face into her pillow and sighed in complete content. She woke up slowly, swayed on the lingering tide of sleep as she was pulled to shore. Eyes opening, she found her little home washed in an muted indigo light. The dark night sky outside was gradually lifting, carrying in warm morning breezes and fresh scents. Kagome smiled to herself and sat upright, letting her blankets fall in a pool around her. Jun, sleeping at her feet, groaned slightly at the movement, but soon enough resettled and fell back asleep.

She must have been up pretty early. The village was entirely silent. Crickets were still singing in the grass outside, harmonized by only a few morning birds. Combing her fingers back through her hair, Kagome yawned one more time and stood up. She padded barefoot across the floor, down the drop to the dirt entrance, and pushed back the door mat. Outside, she was met with a creeping dawn, and a kind of stillness that was impossible to find during the day. Glancing to her right, Kagome leaned out of her doorway just enough to spy on Takuya’s hut. Already, she could see the brilliant yellow light of his firepit thrown out the window and door onto the ground outside.

Kagome knew an opportunity when she saw one. Smiling to herself in an effort to keep from laughing, Kagome dashed back inside her hut and grabbed the nearest wooden pale. With it in hand, she crept out the door, making no sound as she hurried across the dirt lane to the stream running through the village. Kagome crouched by the bank, filling the bucket with as much water as she could carry, before bringing it back into her hut. The water splashed over the rim a few times, but she paid it no mind. Rushing back inside, Kagome stood against the wall by the doormat, pressing herself flat so she wouldn’t be seen at first.

Rin groaned. Despite Kagome’s efforts to keep quiet, it appeared it hadn’t been enough. “Kagome, what are you doing?” she moaned without lifting her head off her pillow. She pulled the blanket up over her head.

Kagome set the bucket down at her feet and dared a peek out the door. Still no movement from her teacher’s hut. “Getting revenge,” she whispered.

The peaked Rin’s interest. The girl pushed herself up on her forearms, blanket falling back. With hair still falling in her face, Rin squinted across the room in the limited light to see her elder “sister” standing by the door with the bucket. Even half asleep, it didn’t take Rin long to connect the dots. Scampering out of her bed, Rin ran to grab another bucket. Looking out the door to make sure the coast was clear, she ran out to the stream and filled her bucket as well. Just as she was halfway across the lane, she saw the shadow of Takuya’s doormat shift on the ground. She hurried back inside as Kagome beckoned her back with whispers for her to run. Kagome picked her bucket up again as Rin joined her at her side.

Outside, they could hear their teacher yawn, his sandals crunching in the dirt as he walked to the stream as well. They heard the soft splash of his bucket in the water, and turned to one another with muffled giggling. Anticipation mounting in buzzed excitement, they struggled to keep quiet as they listened to their teacher approaching.

The doormat pushed to the side. Takuya stepped in through the door. The moment he moved to lift his bucket over his head, Kagome and Rin sprung out from the shadows and tossed their water at him in one massive wave. Takuya let out a startled shout, hands slipping on his bucket, he dropped it on his own head, adding a second splash to his own soaking misery. The bucket fell upside down on Takuya’s head, masking his face as he turned slowly toward his pupils.

Kagome and Rin collapsed in an absolute fit of laughter on the raised wood floor. They’d been splashed a bit in the aftermath, but neither could find it in them to care. Giggling until they curled in on themselves with sore stomachs, Takuya’s glaring through the bucket went entire ignored. With a resigned sigh, Takuya took the bucket off his head and dropped it at his side. Even with his scowl visible, the girls didn’t seem to notice. The dogs, long immune to this morning routine by now, didn’t even flinch.

Takuya crossed his arms over his chest. “Is this anyway for a distinguished Priestess to be behaving?”

Kagome calmed down only just enough to answer, giggling through her reply. “Probably not a _distinguished_ Priestess.” That only made Rin laugh harder at her side.

Takuya, though he made a valiant attempt, wasn’t immune to their amusement. “Yes, well,” he laughed as he shook his head. “I suppose I had that coming.”

“You’ve had it coming ten times over,” Rin beamed up at him as she finally stilled, laying out like a starfish on the floor.

“Alright, alright,” Takuya huffed, making a point to flick water at them as he tried to dry off some. “You two have had your fun.”

With Spring in full bloom, they’d taken up their old habit of eating breakfast up at the shrine once again. Carrying bowls of rice, a bag of fruit (Kagome had nearly done cartwheels the day she first saw fresh fruit in the market again), and a tea pot up the towering steps of the shrine, they dished out their meals and ate at the top. The view of the village and surrounding fields and forests was unrivaled at this time of year. Wildflowers were just starting to blossom in a field of tall grass. Leafy green buds sprouted from every tree. The work in the rice paddies and fields had begun again, turning over fresh soil to start the season.

As dawn stretched on into morning, Kagome held her steaming tea cup in both hands, elbows resting on her knees as she leaned into the warm breeze. She felt at peace. It was a rare experience. Any moment now, the drums would beat from the fortress up the hillside, and the soldiers would bleed down into the town, but even knowing that couldn’t ruin the complete tranquility of this morning.

“There was word in the Village last night of a shortage on weapons for Masao’s army,” Takuya commented as he finished off his own tea. “It seems like someone is making their way down from the North, hitting every fortress in his path.”

Kagome slid him a side glance, lips tugging at the corners in a secretive smile. “Pity.”

Morning drew on into the day. After making their offerings and cleaning the Shrine, Takuya and Kagome headed back down to their homes. Rin, the moment she was excused, was running off into the village with nothing more than a chirped goodbye and a gleeful wave. The Priest and Priestess, however, used the warm day to expand Kagome’s garden, so that it stretched between their two huts. Or, rather, Takuya decided they would do it that morning. Kagome had been all for the idea until she put a hoe in her hands. She would break up the hardened earth and turn over the soil while he lengthened the fence. A larger garden had sounded great in theory.

Hours passed on, just like every other day. By early afternoon, they’d finished about half the work needed for the day. Takuya had spent virtually the entire morning taking about what vegetables and herbs he wanted to plant, listing off their benefits and often going on long tangents that lead into other tangents until he wasn’t talking about gardening at all. At some point he’d jumped from ginseng to the virtues of pottery glazes. Kagome had been content to listen, but understandably, after a while her attention began to wander. A chorus of young voices singing a familiar tune caught her ear. Pausing with her hoe in the dirt, she looked up to see a group of children holding hands and dancing around in a circle.

“Kagome, Kagome! You are no more than a bird in a cage. Crane and a turtle, gonna slip and fall. Who’s behind you now? Are they big or small?”

The child sitting in the middle of the circle pursed his lips as he tried to guess who was standing behind him. In their circle around the boy, the other village children let go of each others hands to clap over their mouths, smothering their laughter as they waited. The boy himself could hardly keep from laughing. “It’s... Sen!”

The children erupted into a chorus of thrilled giggling. “No! It’s Chihiro!”

The boy removed his hands from his eyes and stood, frowning at the Chihiro as she waved at him. Crossing his arms, the boy stalked out of the circle. The children were quick to pick the next one to sit in the middle of the circle and continue their game.

Setting her hoe against the side of her hut, Kagome leaned forward against the fence with a smile as she folded her arms along the wood. “Come on now, Hozumi,” Kagome smiled. “It’s just a game. You don’t have to feel bad about getting it wrong once.”

“But I _always_ get it wrong,” Hozumi huffed as he stopped at the fence.

“Well, that’s just part of the game! I’m sure the other kids will get it wrong, too,” Kagome shrugged.

Hozumi pouted up at her. “Then why don’t _you_ try it, Lady Kagome?”

“Me?” Kagome laughed. “I don’t think that’s really fair.”

The children stopped their game as another round went without a victor, much more interested in the conversation between their friend and the village Priestess anyway. “How come?” Sen asked as she scampered over to the fence.

Kagome flashed the children a secretive smile as they crowded on the other side of her garden fence. “My name _is_ Kagome, after all,” she winked. “I was the best at that game when I played it as a kid. I never guess wrong.”

That only solidified it. The children erupted into cheers, begging the Lady Priestess to play with them. Kagome had no choice, she supposed. She hopped over the fence and allowed them to pull and tug at her hands and sleeves until they were back where they’d been playing before. Kagome was left standing in the centre of a ring of children as they joined hands around her.

“Okay, okay!” she laughed, crouching down, she held her hands over her eyes. Within moments, the children began to dance around her, chanting the song.

“Kagome, Kagome! You are no more than a bird in a cage. Crane and a turtle, gonna slip and fall. Who’s behind you now? Are they big or small?”

Kagome waited until they had finished and stilled around her. She didn’t even have to think about the answer. The name came to her tongue on instinct. “It’s Mei.”

Surely enough, when Kagome opened her eyes and looked behind her, the girl was gazing back at her in awe. The children erupted into delighted cheers, begging her to play again just to see the trick. Kagome agreed easily and covered her eyes. The children began again.

“Kagome, Kagome!”

A voice that didn’t belong was singing. Kagome opened her eyes behind her hands, her breath stolen for a moment as she listened to the children’s song.

“You are no more than a bird in a cage.”

She wasn’t hearing it. Not like the voices that danced around her in a carefree spiral. It resonated in her mind, her spirit rising to a place above her head to meat the sound.

“Crane and a turtle, gonna slip and fall.”

Kagome’s hair stood on end, a shiver running through her body. Unable to help herself, she dropped her hands and stared ahead of her. The apparition of a young girl with a patch over her eye stood just several feet in front of her. The young spirit tilted her head as she continued to sing - the only voice left. 

_“Who’s behind you...?”_

Kagome stood up and spun around with a strangled gasp. Yorino stood behind her, the children quitting their game and scattering to make way for the terrifying Samurai Captain. Entirely oblivious or uncaring to the children’s fear, he regarded the priestess with a cold eye. Recovering from her shock, Kagome stood proud. “Captain,” she greeted with a bow. “I was not expecting a visit to the village from you.”

“Yes, I rather surprised myself by coming down here,” Yorino said, the implication that _here_ was unfavourable to him heavy in his tone. “I suppose it is the season. I will be making the journey to Seichi Castle this evening,” he sneered down at her. “If you have anything you would like to tell our Lord, I would be most happy to pass the message along.”

Kagome didn’t miss a beat. “You may give him my warm regards,” she replied with a slight head tilt. “And tell him that I hope that tragic news of Demonic attacks on his fortresses in the West doesn’t discourage him.”

Yorino’s expression dropped. “I will be sure to let him know,” he said.

Kagome nodded, before bowing low as a non-subtle cue to him that their conversation was over and he was welcome to leave. It was as she was bowing, however, that she caught the gruesome sight of his hand. It had never quite recovered from her shooting it last summer. The scar had always been raised and mangled. However, Kagome could not mistake the sight of what almost looked like the scales of a snake growing over his skin from the centre of the old wound. “Your hand...” she breathed as she straightened up.

Yorino pulled that hand back in an instant, poising as if to slap the impudent woman for daring point it out. Kagome didn’t flinch. She stood up straighter, eyes scanning the village around her. Many of the villagers were out at this time of day, and had stilled the moment Yorino raised a hand to her. They put up with a lot from the soldiers, but striking their Priestess would not be tolerated. Yorino seemed to realize this. With a hiss, he dropped his hand and turned on his heel to stalk away. Kagome didn’t move until he was out of sight.

The children took that opportunity to thank Kagome before hastily running off, eager to take their games elsewhere. Kagome sighed, all the tension draining from her body at once. She closed his eyes, letting her head tilt back into the sun. It was getting warmer, bit by bit, and even now she could feel the sun’s heat breaking through the cool sky. Dropping her head, she looked back to her garden. That time of year, again. Folding her arms into her kimono, she pushed her hands through the slits and tied the sleeves in a bow behind her back. Back to work.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Masao loomed over the map of his empire. Clay pieces signifying fortresses, villages, and enemy clans littered the paper’s surface. Ink lines had been drawn over victories, movements, advances. Black for his. Red for _theirs_. There was too much red. With an absolute roar, Masao overturned the table, wood smashing against the wall and broken clay flying across the room in shards. The Samurai gathered around him flinched, but did not dare move away. They sat on their pillows, hands clenched over their knees, as they waited with dread for their Lord’s fury to turn on them.

Surprisingly, as the last pieces of broken wood clattered and stilled on the ground, Masao stood up straight. Entirely calm, he turned toward his men with an eerie glower. “How could you let this happen?”

No one dared speak, refusing even to meet the Warlord’s eyes. Masao paced deliberately in front of them. He stopped in front of the Samurai on the end of the row. “You,” he hissed, using the tip of his foot to kick the man’s chin upward to look him in the eyes. “Answer.”

The Samurai struggled to keep from shaking. “W-We have been making terrific progress against the opposing clans, my Lord,” he stammered. “The Fujiwara and Asakura clans are in negotiations for surrender-”

The blade of a sword pressed up against his neck, as Masao unsheathed the katana and struck out with lightning fast movements. It stopped just short of cutting the man’s head off. “Not. Them,” Masao seethed.

The Samurai swallowed hard, the action drawing a thin line of blood from his jugular. “My Lord... it appears that the Demons ha- have... allied themselves together. They have been attacking our fortifications from the North down through the West for months now. Our supplies of weapons have some to a slow hault, and our ammunition depots are dwindling.”

“If I may be so bold as to add to that, my Lord,” Another Samurai spoke up. “It appears that the Demons are leaving survivors...”

Masao removed his sword, and pointed it at the new speaker. “They are mindless creatures, Captain. They are fools.”

“Y-Yes, no doubt, but, my Lord, my point is that those who survive have reported one common anomaly through out each attack. A white phantom, as large as the tallest trees in Yakushima, taking the form of a dog.”

Masao lowered his sword. With a steady inbreath, the sheathed the weapon at his side, jaw clenching tightly. Kneeling down in front of the Samurai, close enough to smell his breath, Masao lashed out and grabbed onto the Godstone, yanking it forward. “I have given you the power of a God, you imbeciles!” he shouted. “I have granted you power beyond what your pathetic mortal lives could have ever hoped to touch! And you cannot dispose of one phantom?!”

“Th-the phantom is immune to your Lordship’s power!” the man cried out.

Masao shoved the Godstone back against him with the force to knock him to the ground. Rising to his feet once again, Masao turned his back on his men. Leaders of his Great Empire’s army, and they were just as incompetent as the lowliest rice farmer with a musket thrust into his hands. His shoulders hunched as he breathed through his gritted teeth, unaware of his men leaning as from away from him as possible; unaware of the blinding mist of clouds forming around his body out of thin air.

Then, with no fanfare, the light disappeared. Masao stood up straighter once again and turned around to face his men. The Samurai before him were covered in searing burns, struggling not to cry out in pain and weakness in front of their master. Masao smiled, entirely pleasant mannered, as if his outburst had been only a passing thought. 

“You may take your leave,” he said. The Samurai hesitated. A bolt of lightning crackled around his body. All at once bowing in thanks, the Samurai scrambled over one another to vacate the room.

Only one man remained, leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. Yorino bent low to pick up a broken clay canon from off the carnage on the floor. “My Lord,” he began. “This news of a Dog Phantom is troubling.”

“Your ability to point out the obvious never ceases to astound me, Yorino,” Masao spat.

Yorino flinched, but nontheless continued. “Perhaps you should reconsider what I told you those months ago,” he said. “It is possible that Inuyasha-”

A burst of fire shot out with deadly presicion, striking inches to the left of Yorino’s head. A hole smoldered into the wall, forcing Yorino to cough with the heavy smoke. When he could see clearly, Masao was standing in front of him, his entire arm ablaze and poised to attack him. “You may take your leave, Captain,” Masao hissed.

Regaining what was left of his composure, Yorino dropped the clay piece and left the room. The shoji door slid shut behind him. Left alone at last, Masao crossed the room and ripped open a compartment laid into the wall, pushing apart two thin sliding doors to reveal a cubby laid into the wall. Inside was a small altar, though no less ornate. Masao knelt down in front of it. On the altar, between to dying candles and a stick of waning incense, sat a crystal geode twice the size of his head. The geode pulsed with a soft blue light, shimmering over the golden altar it sat on. A rounded mirror hung on the inner wall. Masao turned to face his reflection.

The cord keeping his hair pulled back had loosened, allowing unkept locks to fall over his face and down his neck. His jaw was still clenched, lips parted in a snarl. He knew very well that his officers believed that he was slowly going mad - if he wasn’t mad already. Masao would not let that stand. What he fought for was larger than them. Than any mortal. Lowering his attention to the bottom of the altar, he reached beneath it, fingers expecting contact with worn fabric. His hand only fell against the bottom of the cupboard.

Masao stopped. In a sudden frenzy, he bent down to peer beneath the altar, finding the compartment completely empty. Gone. Jumping up to his feet, Masao ripped the mirror off the wall and hurled it toward the door. “Where is it?!” he screamed. When the shoji door on the other side of the room opened, Masao threw the remnants of his broken table. Two servant girls cowered away with shrieks. “Where is it?!” Masao shouted again.

The two girls quickly bowed on their knees, heads pressed to the floor. One of the servants spoke timidly. “W-Where is what, my Lord?”

“The quilt, you incompetent whore,” Masao spat. “The quilt under my altar! Where has it gone?!”

The other girl, cringed back as she slowly pushed herself upright. “I-I haven’t seen that quilt in months, Lord Masao,” she confessed.

Masao turned his attention to her. “What do you mean?”

Struggling to keep tears of fear at bay, the young woman stumbled through her explanation. “Well, m-my Lord, when you had that lovely song bird in your rooms, I had used the quilt to shade its cage... I-I had thought you might have put it somewhere else, as it was moved some time after. I-I have not seen it since Lady Kagome’s visit.”

Masao listened to the girl’s story with remarkable patience. Then, as she finished, simple reached out, flicked his wrist, and a bolt of lightning shot out and struck the girl dead. Closing the shoji door to the sound of the other servant girl’s screams, Masao walked calmly back to his altar. Sitting in front of the geode, was a little Godstone crystal shaped into a perfect sphere. He had spent months carefully shaving it into shape. Masao plucked it from off the altar, turning over between his forefinger and thumb, and watching how the candle light danced through it. Satisfied, he set it aside.

Masao took the geode from out of the altar. He carried it across the room and pushed back the door to the balcony. Walking out into the warm spring afternoon, he admired how the lilac and peach sunset stained the mountain face. High up on its peak, his castle was bathed in its light. Pure light. Evidently, Masao really _was_ going mad. Taken too much for granted. He’d been content, and blind in it, for too long that everything was as it should be. He’d taken for granted that everything was as he desired.

Well, he certainly would not make that mistake any longer. It was high time he reaped the power he so long deserved. Raising the geode over his head, Masao closed his eyes. As the glow of the geode grew brighter, blue streams of light rose up from all corners of the world around his mountain’s summit, traveling toward him in graceful tendrils.

The phantom mirage of a long, blue dragon curled around his body.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

In the shade of the back of her hut, Kagome shook out the dust from Kaede’s quilt. She didn’t dare do it in the front, where prying eyes might see. There wasn’t anything remarkable about the quilt to anyone else, nothing that the villagers or soldiers would recognize. There had been fewer soldiers in the village these past few days, with Yorino taking a convoy to Seichi Castle, but it didn’t hurt to be careful. Shaking the quilt one more time with a snap of her wrist, Kagome folded it neatly in her arms, taking a moment to run her fingertips over the intricate designs. It felt a little lighter already. Much better. Months of sitting in the hole under her floorboards had dulled the colours. Tucking the folded fabric under her arm, Kagome returned inside her home, and tucked it away once more for safe keeping.

“How is dinner looking?” Kagome asked over her shoulder. “It smells pretty good!”

“It’s not done yet,” Rin replied. Stirring the pot, she lifted the ladle out to give the soup inside a quick taste. “Another hour, I think.”

“Are you _sure_ you don’t want any help?”

“I’ve got it!” Rin smiled.

Kagome shrugged. “Alright, if you say so.” Standing up with a stretch, she watched through the propped open window as the soldiers began to gather in the village centre for their march back up to the fortress. “In that case, I’m going to take a walk into the forest. Tell Takuya I’ll be back in time to open up the Shrine for Miroku if he comes looking for me.”

With Rin’s agreement and farewell, Kagome pushed through the door and headed out through the village. Though the days were now warm, the evening still fell with a light chill. Still, not enough that she felt the need to bring a shawl. The cool wind nipped at her cheeks and the tips of her fingers, but all she breathed in was fresh air. As she crossed the rice paddies toward the forest, the lilac and peach sunset stained the pools of water in perfect reflections of the sky; Kagome drank it all in with tranquility nestling deep in her chest. Winter felt like another life time ago.

Like most of her walks into the forest, Kagome was drawn down the familiar path to the Sacred Tree. She’s walked the path so many times, both in daylight and the secret hours of the night, that at this point she could probably do it with her eyes closed - not that she was keen on putting that theory to the test. Still the easy familiarity let her feet take over and her mind shut down. Before long, Kagome was pushing through the bushes and stepping into the clear glade of the Sacred Tree.

The moment she set foot in the clearing, she knew something was off. No evil aura, and no pure light either, that wasn’t it. The air in the glade just seemed - heightened. Like air before a lightening strike. Kagome frowned, glancing around in search for something out of place. For a moment, she even considered that her little showdown with Yorino the other day had earned her another slice out of the trunk of the tree, but on inspection as she ran her fingers over the bark, there was nothing new. Eyes trailing upward, she looked to the branches of the Sacred Tree, its young leaves rustling in the gentle wind.

The leaves. Back in the beginning of the Winter, the Sacred Tree had held onto its leaves for weeks after every other tree in the forest had shed theirs, after the snow was thick on the ground and frost hung down from the branches. Their otherworldly crimson hue had been an eerie beacon in the forest. Kagome had no memory of when the leaves fell, there had never been a single red leaf in the snow after the branches were bare. Despite it being odd, Kagome hadn’t thought of it too much. There had been other things to worry about. Now, looking up at the budding leaves, vibrantly green and filtering the light down on her, she remembered that day in the summer. Before Inuyasha had left. The day they looked up at the tree to find that every leaf had turned over in waiting for a storm to pass.

The new leaves had grown in upside down. Already turned over. Still waiting for something.

The earth shook. Kagome stumbled back from the roots of the tree to regain her footing. The tremour had come from somewhere deeper into the forest, far past the glade. Struggling to let her mind catch up with what was happening, and what it could possibly mean, she barely had the chance to form a coherent thought before the first haunting notes of a song she hadn’t heard in months drifted through her mind.

_Flickering Lanterns, falling from the sky_

_Never have I felt such a painful goodbye_

Kagome spun around, coming face to face with the apparition of Kaede as a young woman. Her single eye pierced through Kagome and to somewhere beyond her. Entirely unaffected by the tremors, rippling through the forest like a beating heart, Kaede sang.

_Flickering lanterns, saying goodbye_

_One will be slain, though both will die._

As another, violent quake shook through the forest, Kaede’s gaze cleared from her trance. Her attention snapped toward the forest behind Kagome. As Kagome turned around, a mysterious blue light glowed from far off in the trees. She’d been about to run toward it before Kaede’s spirit spoke again.

“Masao, stop it!” Kaede shouted in distress, her voice echoing through the clearing. “Stop, you can’t do this! I made a mistake.... I made a mistake! I never should have created the Godstone! Stop this, please!”

Kagome paled. Heart stopping dead in her chest, she whirled around to face Kaede, but nothing was there. All at once, the tremors, the blue light, everything stopped and stilled. The sun finally dipped down below the horizon, casting long shadowing with waning light through the trees. Unable to keep her head from spinning, Kagome stumbled backwards, her back hitting the trunk of the Sacred Tree. Sliding down, she sat on the roots and fought to catch her breath.

“Kagome!”

No such luck. Head snapping up, Kagome looking toward the forest path to find Rin racing toward her, out of breath and cheeks red. Rin skidded to a stop beside her, doubled over to catch her breath. Kagome shot up to her feet and rested her hand on the girl’s back, leaning over to try to see her face. “Rin, what’s wrong? What’s going on?”

Once she had enough breath in her lungs to speak, Rin stood up straight again. “Kagome, Sango is in labour!”

Kagome blanched. “What?! But isn’t this early? She should still have a few weeks left, almost a month!”

“Maybe we miscalculated,” Rin panted. “Or maybe it is just early. I don’t know, but we need to go!”

Kagome bit down hard on her lip, running her hands back through her hair in mounting panic. “B-But I still don’t know how to do this! I have no idea what I’m doing, what if something goes wrong? Rin, I can’t do this, I don’t-”

“Kago- hey, Kagome!” Rin called out her name in laughter, stilling her hands on the older girl’s shoulders. “It’s okay!” she smiled. Apparently, Kagome’s fear was somewhat amusing to her. “You’re panicking more than Sango,” Rin laughed. “It’s okay, I’ll be there the whole time! I’ll show you what to do, and you can help me. Alright?”

Kagome dropped her hands. Rin’s reassuring smile was all it took to calm her down, despite everything she’d just seen. Kagome took in a deep breath and exhaled with a smile. “Okay. Lead the way.” With a beaming smile, Rin took Kagome by the hand and lead her back through the forest. Kagome spared one glance over her shoulder at the Sacred Tree before the thick forest blocked it from her sight. “Oh, Rin, was anything in the village damaged in that earthquake just now?”

Rin looked back at her, head tilting in confusion. “What earthquake?”

“The-” Kagome stopped. “Nothing. I must have fallen asleep under the tree.”


	31. Chapter 31

Rin hummed to herself as the straw of her broom scrapped along the wooden floor. Little clouds of dust swept away in the soft twilight wind, as the sparse clumps of dirt rolled off the edge of the porch surrounding the modest shrine. Her aimless tune drifted off as she peaked through the gap in the door, watching inside the crowded room as villagers sat in meditation. Some of them hummed as well, in monotone keys that twisted together in a melodic, steady chorus, no louder than a whisper. Sweet incense drifted through the gap, caressing her nose. A few of the villagers began to shift, stretching the stiffness out of their limbs. Rin stepped back from the door just as it slid open and they began to quietly trickle out with pleasant goodbyes. The glowing amber light of the lamps inside fell out onto the dark blue of the early morning. Rin smiled as she stood to the side, leaning her broomstick up against the rail surrounding the porch.

As the Buddhists left, stifling yawns and muttering to each other in quiet conversation, Rin peered inside to find Miroku finishing up speaking to one of the farmers. They both made their way out after blowing out the lanterns inside. The village man nodded to Rin as he left, joining his wife at the Torii Gate before descending into the village. Miroku closed the door to the Shrine, carrying one oil lamp to light his way. Rin braced her hands on the rail and pushed herself up to sit on it, her legs dangling off as she watched Miroku close up.

“Rin, could you hold this for a moment?” he asked as he passed her the lamp.

“Mhm,” Rin smiled as she took it from him. She held it out, leaning forward as much as she could while maintaining her balance, to give him more light.

With both hands free, Miroku managed to get the lock on the door. He turned around to face the girl, laughing quietly at the way she let her legs swing from the rail. “Thank you.”

Rin passed him the lamp again. It was almost becoming unnecessary - though the sky was still dark, morning was rising up over the distant mountains. “Umeko didn’t join you tonight?” she asked as she noticed the child wasn’t clinging to her father’s robes as she usually was.

“Not tonight,” Miroku shook his head. “She’s been so enthralled with the new baby, I’ve hardly been able to get her to come out with me. Sayuri’s been the same, though I think Mamoru is a little jealous of all the attention.”

Rin laughed at the thought, bracing her hands on either side of her. “How is Hinata?”

Hinata was the smallest baby Rin had ever delivered. Smaller than the twins, even. After a long labour, nearly an entire night, Hinata was born healthy in the early hours of the morning, bearing dark hair and her father’s striking blue eyes. Kagome had cried more than Sango and Miroku, oddly enough, but then again, she was new to this. Kagome had spent that entire day, as they stayed in Miroku and Sango’s home to help with chores and keep an eye on the newborn, telling Rin how remarkable she’d been, how she was becoming an exceptional midwife. Maybe even a healer. She liked the sound of that.

Rin never let things like that go to her head. It was just what she was happy to do. Even still, there was a certain rush from bringing new life into the world. Rin had never really wanted to be a priestess. Living with Kaede, and Kagome, she loved to help with the Shrine and the duties that came with it, but spiritual work didn’t quite suit her. If there was one thing she’d learned with pleasure from Kaede, though, it was healing. Rin had seen a lot of death. There was a rush in helping to create life.

Miroku smiled at the question, sighing wistfully as his gaze shifted out down the hillside, where his home stood on the outskirts of the village at the edge of the forest. “She’s... just perfect,” he replied. “We were a little worried that she wasn’t gaining much weight at first, and she didn’t seem to have much of an appetite, but she’s been getting stronger day by day.” Miroku turned his attention down to Rin again, eyes softening as he reached out to lay his hand on her shoulder. “I cannot thank you enough, Rin. With her being born so early... I don’t want to think about what might have happened if you hadn’t been there.”

Rin’s chest swelled, her smile brightening. “I’m always happy to help,” she grinned. “I’ll come by later today to check up on her, if you wouldn’t mind?”

“You’re always welcome, you know that,” said Miroku. Giving her shoulder one more squeeze, he retracted his hand, and the two of them made their way off the porch and toward the Torii Gate. “You and Kagome should both come tonight, we’ll make dinner. Takuya is welcome too, of course.” As he spoke, Miroku looked over his shoulder, then around him, a frown creasing on his brow. “Speaking of Kagome... where is she?”

Rin nodded her head toward the distant forest with a secretive smile. “Where do you think?”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kagome sighed happily as she snuggled back against Inuyasha’s chest. Eyes closed, she soaked in the warmth of the early morning, the cool breezes of nighttime still seeping their way through the forest, rustling the budding leaves. Crickets still sang in the grass. The sun hadn’t quite risen yet, just a smear of peach light staining the horizon. She didn’t seem to mind. She couldn’t be bothered by the coming day when Inuyasha had his fingers massaging over her scalp and -

“Ow, not so rough!” she squeaked, reaching behind her to lightly smack his arm.

Inuyasha pulled his hands away. “You just said not to be so light!” Inuyasha complained, sinking further back against the Sacred Tree. She’d been trying to teach him to do the head massage for what felt like hours now. He wouldn’t mind learning, if his teacher wasn’t so finicky. At the commotion, Jun looked up from where he’d been lounging in the grass not far away. Uninterested when he saw that nothing was really happening, he laid his head back down.

Kagome rolled her eyes, tilting her head back to look up at him. “I said to apply more pressure,” she corrected indignantly. “Not rip all my hair out.”

“It’s the claws! I’ve gotta use the pads of my fingers, it’s hard!”

“Only a poor workman blames his tools.”

“Easy for you to say.”

Kagome laughed taking Inuyasha’s hands and lacing their fingers together as she tugged his arms around her. She tilted her head to the side, ear against his chest, so she could get a better look at him. The pure annoyance on his face was nothing short of endearing. Still, she decided to cut him some slack. It was sweet enough of him to ask her to teach him, and she wouldn’t complain if she got the massage every once in a while too. Maybe just as a treat on his human nights though. As Kagome gazed up at him, her attention drifted naturally down to the crystal hanging around his neck. She reached up, holding the Godstone above her. Twisting it between her fingers, the crystal caught the first rays of the early morning light, like shimmering opal. “I want to see it.”

Inuyasha frowned down at her, ears quirking up. “Hm?”

Kagome giggled, reaching up with her free hand to lightly flick his ear. He flicked her right back. “The phantom dog, or whatever it is,” she clarified.

Inuyasha’s quizzical expression only deepened. “Really? Why?”

“Because it’s you,” Kagome replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It was his soul made visible, she couldn’t think of anything more remarkable.

Though he still couldn’t quite understand, Inuyasha shrugged and nonetheless decided to amuse her. Reaching up, he close his hand gently around hers, holding the Godstone. Inuyasha closed his eyes, took in a slow breath through his nose, and let it out as the crystal in their hands began to glow deep crimson. Kagome watched him, entirely enthralled as the glow enclosed his entire body with a soft, glistening warmth. She only teared her eyes away from him when a light in front of them materialized out of the clean morning air.

Kagome turned her head forward, breath held still in his chest as the image of a white dog, nearly as tall as the Sacred Tree, appeared in the middle of the clearing. It’s body encapsulated whole trees and bushes, the forest entirely undisturbed by this massive, elegant creature. The only change was that the crickets had stopped chirping, leaving the woods surrounding them almost entirely silent. Its eyes were golden, flickering as the rising sun threw shades of lilac and rose through the fluttering leaves. Beside them, Jun jumped up to his feet, back arched and tail straight. A growl started low in the dog’s chest, lips curling back. Inuyasha and the Phantom looked at Jun in complete synchronization. One look, and suddenly Jun’s entire demeanor changed. He calmed, ears still up and alert as he sat down.

Kagome watched the exchange with a breathless smile. “This is incredible,” she whispered. Looking up at the Phantom again, she took in every detail in total amazement. This was Inuyasha. That wild part of him. Kagome lifted her head toward it, without leaving the comfort of Inuyasha’s hold, moving their laced hands against her chest. The Phantom stepped forward, forest still blissfully unaware of the great spirit walking across the grass with invisible footsteps. Lowering its head, it pushed its nose against Kagome’s palm. Kagome’s breath stuttered. “I can almost feel it.”

“Yeah?” Inuyasha grinned as he tightened his arm around her waist.

“Yeah,” Kagome repeated. “It’s like... like an energy flow. Or like when you stick your hands underwater, and you can feel _something_ even though nothing’s really there, like a current,” she explained to the best of her ability. Turning her head again, she looked up at Inuyasha. “Does he like belly rubs?”

And just like that, the Phantom disappeared, Inuyasha took the crystal from Kagome’s hand and let it fall against his chest. “Fuck off,” he grumbled, though Kagome could tell he was trying _so_ hard not to laugh.

“Nooo, bring him back! No fair!” Kagome squealed. She tried to reach for the crystal again, but Inuyasha snatched it back and pulled it over his head so he could dangle it just above her reach. Kagome tried a few times to swipe it back, each time failing spectacularly. “You’re no fun.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Inuyasha smirked. The crickets started to chirp in the bushes again.

Resigning to her spirit dog-less fate, Kagome settled back against Inuyasha again. The sky was starting to grow lighter above them. A single thread of dread and anxiety pulled taught in her chest. She’d learned by now not to waist time willing the sun not to rise. “You get all the cool powers,” she huffed in mock envy.

“That’s because I’m better than you,” Inuyasha shrugged.

Kagome pursed her lips. “I can make a flower bloom if you give me an hour of unbroken concentration.”

“How do you know it wasn’t going to bloom in an hour anyway?”

Kagome elbowed Inuyasha, but it did nothing to stop his roaring laughter at his own joke. “You are such an intolerable jerk!”

Calming down from his laughter, Inuyasha sighed in content and kissed Kagome’s temple in silent apology - not apologizing for being hilarious, though. “I’m kidding,” he chuckled. “Your Spiritual Power isn’t anything to scoff at.”

Kagome smirked up at him. “Bet I could take you.”

“You’re on.”

Kagome burst into light laughter. Her stomach was almost starting to hurt with how much she had laughed through the night. As she faded off, she took in another breath of fresh morning air and sighed, head falling back against Inuyasha’s chest again. She closed her eyes, a gentle smile on her rosy lips as she took in this moment for everything it was worth. “I like it when you’re here.”

Kagome couldn’t see it, but she felt Inuyasha’s smile when he pressed his mouth to the crown of her head. “I like being here.”

Within moments, his fingers returned to her hair, kneading over her scalp and back down to the base of her neck. They sat in silence like that for a while, listening as the crickets slowly went quiet one by one. A lonely bird further off in the forest began to sing. “You know, you don’t have to be _that_ gentle, you’re not gonna break me,” she cut in bluntly.

Inuyasha growled in frustration. “That’s it!” he snapped. Kagome’s eyes blew open wide as she suddenly found herself under a vicious attack of tickling at her sides. She squealed and squirmed in Inuyasha’s hold, helpless again the cruel onslaught. Years ago, Inuyasha never would have seemed like the “tickling” type. How times changed.

“Cut it out, cut it out, cut it out!” Kagome cried. Jun jumped up to his feet and trotted over to bark at them, evidently deciding that they were having far too much fun. Kagome reached out toward the grey dog. “Jun, save me!” she hollered. On queue, Jun bit into the sleeve of Inuyasha’s haori, tugging at the fabric. He could never hope to tear the fire rat cloth, but being, of course, a Dog, he didn’t seem to care all that much.

“Alright, I give!” Inuyasha laughed, silently but playfully commanding Jun to release him with a tap of his finger against his muzzle. Satisfied that everything was back in order, Jun returned to his post.

That was as close to a victory as Kagome was going to get, so she took it gladly. Inuyasha, however, had taken to a firm mock glare down at her for playing dirty, bringing the dog into it. “You shouldn’t pout like that,” Kagome teased. “Your face will get stuck.”

“Maybe I want it to get stuck,” Inuyasha retorted.

Kagome shrugged. “Then I’ll have to find a happier husband.”

Inuyasha’s ears tilted. “Who the hell said I’d ever want to marry you, Stupid?”

Kagome hummed under her breath. Pushing herself up on her elbows, she caught that pout in an upside down kiss. Despite all his considerable willpower, Inuyasha couldn’t frown when Kagome was kissing him like that. He leaned over to make it a little easier on her, kissing her softly until she broke off into a quiet laugh at the awkward angle. Inuyasha took only a second to silence her again, but that kiss didn’t last more than a second longer before his back straightened, and his eyes darted above the forest to the hillside above the village. Kagome sat up, brows furrowing as she followed his gaze. The sound of drums coming from the Fort thrummed through the woods.

Kagome sighed, all the wistful and carefree air flooding from her lungs. Reluctantly, she sat up, slowly rising to her feet. “I should get back,” she muttered as she brushed the dirt and sparse blades of grass from her hakama. They were being reckless as it was, staying until this time of morning.

Though it was clear Inuyasha wanted to argue, he held his complaints back. Pushing himself upright as well, he rolled his shoulders back. “I know,” said. He should have been gone an hour ago, but his heart had anchored him to the spot. Though the nights were getting warmer, they were also getting shorter, and their time together was as well. With the progress he was making in taking down Masao’s growing empire, he’d been able to visit more frequently - but it still wasn’t enough. It wasn’t the same as really _being_ here with her. Kagome’s eyes remained on the ground. Their goodbyes were always difficult. Inuyasha exhaled, reached out to gently pull her into his arms. “Hey, come on,” he murmured. “I’ll be back soon.”

“I know, I know,” Kagome murmured as she hugged him back. “You still have to leave, though.”

“We’re getting there, Kagome,” Inuyasha promised. “We’re getting close,” Holding her at arms length, he ducked his head down, reaching out with his index finger under her chin to force her to look up at him as well. “Who knows. Maybe the next time I come back, I’ll be back for good.”

Kagome, despite not wanting to get her hopes up, couldn’t help the ever-present smile that returned to her face, unable to stay away for too long. Throwing her arms around Inuyasha’s shoulders, Kagome kissed him. His arms immediately came up around her waist, holding her so tight and so carefully at the same time, lifting her until her feet left the ground. Kagome laughed as they parted and pressed their foreheads together. Inuyasha set her down on her feet as her hand came up to hold the side of his face. For a long moment she didn’t say anything, just stared up at him with a sunrise worth of love in her eyes. “I miss seeing you in daylight,” she sighed. They were so close, right on the cusp of day and night, but the sun wasn’t high enough to break through the trees.

Inuyasha turned his head in her hand, kissing her palm. “Soon,” he promised.

Kagome nodded, arms winding around him one most time. “I love you,” she murmured. “Be safe.”

“I love you, too,” Inuyasha replied. Now came the hard part. Letting his arms drop from around Kagome’s waist, Inuyasha stepped back. He knew this pattern by now. If he didn’t leave now, it would just be harder to say goodbye. There was always so much that she felt he still needed to say, so many things to tell her, so many times he wanted to kiss her - but he turned around and jumped up into the trees, disappearing from sight in an instant.

Kagome watched him leave in a blur of crimson, all at once left alone in the forest clearing. Well, almost alone. Jun stretched with a long, lazy yawn. Kagome found herself yawning along with him. She’s stayed out her with Inuyasha all night. Hopefully after her chores were finished, she’d be able to catch a bit of a nap. Looking down to her companion, she patted her side. “C’mon,” she said, fighting back another yawn. “Let’s get going.”

Jun faithfully trotted along at her side as they made the journey through the forest and out across the rice paddies. Villagers were already out working in the fields, planting and working the soil, tending to their live stalk, chatting on the pathways, watching their children play in patches of wild flowers. Though her heart still longed to follow after Inuyasha, Kagome still found herself content to be here. These were _her_ people, to protect and look after. They greeted her warmly as she made her way out of the forest, never once questioning why she was coming out of the woods so early in the morning. Kagome waved to them, and called pleasant greetings, as she passed into the village.

The soldiers had made it down into the village by the time she arrived, but she was getting rather good at ignoring them. To be entirely fair, not all of them were awful. She watched as two of the younger soldiers helped an old man lift barrels onto his cart. Although, behind them, there was a group of soldiers harassing one of the stands in the market for cheaper sheets of Kombu. Kagome rolled her eyes in disgust as she passed, making no effort to mask her annoyance anymore. In any case, she made it to her quieter corner of the village, where the steps to her shrine rose up above her. Jun ran up ahead of her, greeting Kei where she’d been chasing birds away from the offerings set out that morning. Kagome climbed the steps as fast as she could, out of breath by the time she reached the top.

Takuya was waiting for her at the top, arms crossed. “You’re-”

“Late,” Kagome finished for him. “I know, I’m sorry. I got caught up.”

Takuya shook his head. “Yes, yes, I know. I saw the Lantern last night,” he said. “Rin’s already swept, but I think the Shrine house could use a good mopping.”

“Oh! I already mopped,” Rin chimed in as she jogged over to them from the Shrine house.

Kagome reached out to pull her against her side for a hug. “Rin, you didn’t have to do that!”

“I don’t mind,” Rin grinned. “I was up early anyway, and I couldn’t get back to sleep, and none of my friends were awake, so I figured it’d be best to keep busy. How is _he_ doing?”

Kagome glanced around them before answering. _“He’s_ great. They’re making a lot of progress now that the land’s thawed out,” Kagome winked down at her. “Won’t be long now.”

Takuya chuckled down at the girl. “In that case, it would seem like chores are finished for the day. You’re free to go.”

Rin beamed up at the Priest, rushing over to give him a quick hug before running off. She just barely heard Takuya grabbing onto Kagome’s sleeve with a “Not so fast, young lady, _you_ still have duties...” before she’d descended the stairs.

 _Won’t be long now._ Rin could barely keep herself from giggling in excitement at the thought. She was the keeper of an incredible secret, one that would change the whole of Japan, and there she was skipping into her hut like it was any normal day. Soon, she wouldn’t have to look at another soldier in her village, or bite her tongue when they spoke ill about Demons. Like her Lord Sesshomaru. Maybe he would be able to start visiting again once Masao was gone for good. She’d always looked forward to his visits, not just for the pretty kimonos he would bring her, but being able to tell him about her life in the village. She could tell him about all of the babies she’d delivered, the sick she’d helped tend to. He wouldn’t say so, but he would be so proud of her.

So, all of these thoughts combined with a warm spring morning had Rin feeling understandably exhilarated. Inside the hut, Rin sorted through a stack of prebundled herbs with notes attached to each one. She and Kagome had been preparing medicines the night before when they saw the lantern rising above the forest. Picking out what she needed, Rin loaded them into her basket and headed outside. Walking through the village with the sun finally peaking over the rounded mountains, she caught sight of Miroku and Sango up the road, passing through the market. The twins walked at their feet, with Mamoru holding onto each of their hands as he took unsteady steps between them. Sango was already up and moving again, with the newborn cradled in a cloth wrapping against her chest. Rin caught Sango’s eye, waving a good morning to her as she continued on her way. With her basket swinging along at her side, Rin headed to the other side of the village, trying to keep the bundles of herbs within the wicker bowl.

“Rin!” her friend Akane called from her left.

Rin stopped to spot a group of girls up the fork in the path, the hems of their kimono rolled up as their sat with their feet in the river. Rin smiled and waved to them. “Good morning!”

“Come hang out with us, Rin!” Akane waved back. “Aoi’s mom gave her lip paint and perfume! We’re going to try it!”

“In a minute!” Rin replied. “I’ve just got to drop these off!” Pointing to her basket, Rin waved once more to her friends and continued on down the right side of the path’s fork. She really didn’t have much interest in paints and perfumes, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. Absorbed in her own thoughts, Rin almost didn’t notice the group of soldiers in her way. They stood in a huddled group up ahead of her, taking up most of the patch between a grove of trees.

“Damned creatures are starting to fight back,” one of the soldiers grunted.

“We’ll be well rid of all Demons if they start showing their ugly heads around here.”

Smothering down an ember of anger in her chest, if only just barely, Rin walked to the far side of the path and passed around them, eager to put as much distance between herself and the loathsome soldiers as possible. Coming up to the end of the path, she approached a hut and tapped her knuckles against the side of the door before pushing through the mat. “Good Morning,” she chirped, all evidence of annoyance gone from her face.

Inside, an elderly man was sat by the edge of his firepit, coughing into his sleeve. Still, he managed a smile for the bright young girl. “Good Morning, Rin,” he chuckled as she knelt down beside him.

“I have the medicine you asked for,” she said as she began unloading the contents of her basket in front of him. “Now, you’ll have to add one sprig of each of these herbs to boiling water, and drink a cup once in the morning and once at night. If you do this for about four days, your cough should be gone by then.”

“Thank you so much, young lady,” the man smiled as he appraised the herbs. “I must give you something in return.”

“Don’t worry about it!” Rin grinned as she rose to her feet again. “There’s no need for payment. Please let us know how you feel if anything changes.” With one more bow, Rin gathered her basket and headed back out into the sunshine. Stretching her arms over her head, she thread the basket over one arm, letting it dangle around her shoulder, and eagerly made her way back toward the village centre to find her friends.

That group of soldiers had moved on at that point, and unfortunately, were headed in the same direction as Rin, into the main square of the village. They walked ahead of her, arrogantly taking up the entire path, shoving at each other and laughing as they barked crude remarks at each other, and worse, some of the women passing by. Rin kept her distance, searching for an opening, or some way to get around them without going anywhere near the vile men. All the while, she was forced to listen to their jeering.

“Big talk, coming from you!” One of the soldiers sneers at his companion’s remark.

“I mean it!” The other retorted as he punched at the first soldier’s shoulder. “I could take on any fucking Demon that dared show up here. I’m the best damn fighter in our squad, I’ll be up for a promotion in no time, and then I’ll have my own Godstone. I’ll decimate the demonic fuckers single handedly.”

“You couldn’t take down a Demon if the ugly thing was half dead and begging for mercy!”

“Hey, maybe if those attacks start making their way down here, we’ll get our chance.”

“Dumb creatures would charge right into our guns!”

The soldiers’ attention drifted off as they entered the market, veering off toward a sake stand and, thankfully, out of Rin’s way. Keeping her piercing gaze forward, Rin stalked passed them, their words burning into her head. Her footsteps slowed to a gradual stop.   
She couldn’t take this anymore.

Turning on her heel, Rin spun around and threw her basket at the soldiers with all of her might. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to catch the soldier she hit off guard, making him stumble. The entire group turned to face their brazen assailant, eyes landing on a young girl three heads shorter than them, glaring back with barely contained fury. The soldier she hit stepped forward. “How _dare_ y-”

“You’re wrong,” Rin spat.

The soldiers exchanged a glance. “What did you say?”

Rin’s fists clenched at her sides. She refused to back down. “I _said_ you’re wrong. Or are you too stupid to understand me?” All at once, activity in the market slowed to a stand still. Every head in the village square turned toward the boiling confrontation in absolute shock. Rin held her head up high. “You’re wrong about Demons. They’re not all evil, and you’re all just too cowardly to see that! You think you’re all so powerful and might, but you play dirty with those Godstones, sapping their power away so they can’t fight back, because you know that you would loose!”

The soldier stepped forward. Rin finally recognized him as the Samurai who had leered down at her and told her to smile more back in the winter. The same man who wouldn’t leave her alone about her kimono the day of the summer festival. Rin’s stomach lurched. “You arrogant little-”

“Demons are not inherently evil!” Rin snapped. “They are just spirits! We need spirits of destruction _just_ as much as we need spirits of creation! They weren’t Demons or Gods until _humans_ invented Good and Evil. You’re the arrogant ones, thinking you can control that!”

“Watch yourself,” The soldier hissed. “A peasant girl like you has no right to speak of our Lord’s good work like this. You ought to be grateful.”

Rin took an equal step forward to meet him. “Grateful for what?! For invading my home? For holding us hostage in our own village, for taking over our shrines and our beliefs, for making my friends so miserable? He’s _your_ Lord, not mine!” A harsh sting to her cheek was the next thing she knew. The sharp echo of skin hitting skin echoed throughout the village. Rin found herself knocked to the ground, dirt and gravel digging into her palms and knees as she caught herself. Rough hands grabbed at her by each bicep, yanking her up to her feet even as she fought against them with all her strength. “No, no! Let go of me! Let me go!” she shrieked.

Hauled into the centre of the market square, Rin was thrown to the ground. A crowd had started to gather around the square, a great commotion rising up around them as one of the soldiers marched over to a nearby cattle farmer and stole the whip out of his cart. A few of the village men shouted out in protest, only to be silenced as soldiers from around the village began to push their way through the crowd. They formed a barrier between the villagers and Rin, the sun glinting off the barrels of their guns a stern reminder of their power over them. The whip was handed off to the Samurai.

A man’s voice spoke up in the murmuring crowd. “What’s going on?”

The Samurai took it, and without mercy, kicked Rin in the shoulder. She was forced to turn over, catching herself on her stomach as her chin scraped into the ground.

“Wait, is tha- is that Rin?!” The man called out again, closer- Miroku. Through the burning tears welling up in her eyes, Rin could just barely see brief flashes of his purple robes as he pushed his way frantically through the crowd.

The Samurai reached down, and grabbed the back of the collar of Rin’s kimono. He hauled her up by the fabric and pulled back as if to rip the whole thing off. A sharp blade of pure panic drove straight into her heart.

“Rin!”

The Samurai leaned down, with his foul breath disgustingly humid in her ear. “I’ll teach your to hold your tongue, you little bitch.” He threw her to the ground. A shadow fell over her as he raised the whip.

_“WAIT!”_

Rin flinched, anticipating the rip of her kimono and the crack of the whip against her back. Nothing came. The hand gripping her kimono was shoved away, letting her fall to the ground again. Shivering in terror, Rin slowly opened her eyes, hardly able to breathe as she looked up to find Miroku standing between her and the Samurai. Miroku’s back was straight, steady as his voice as he spoke evenly to the Samurai.

“Take me,” Miroku said evenly. There wasn’t a trace of doubt in his voice or fear on his brow. He gazed back at the glowering Samurai, level and certain. “Take me instead, the girl didn’t know what she was doing. _Please_ , I’ll take her punishment just- leave her be.”

A desperate hush fell over the assembled crowd. The Samurai appraised the man before him with a measure of disgust and interest. This could work out well for him, making an example of the Village’s Buddhist Monk. Miroku knew that.

The Samurai scoffed. “You’ll take double.”

Though he clenched his jaw, Miroku’s resolve never wavered for a second. He nodded.

“Very well, then.”

At the wave of the Samurai’s hand, two soldiers emerged from the crowd. Realizing what they were going to do, Miroku used his moment of freedom to turn around and kneel in front of the fallen girl. He reached out, one hand on her shoulder and the other cupping her face, just as he would do with his own daughters when they fell. “Rin, are you alright?” he asked urgently.

Rin reached up to wipe her tears away. “I-I’m fine, but Miroku- please, you _can’t,_ you-”

“Rin, it’s alright, it’s alright,” he quickly hushed her, glancing over his shoulder a the approaching soldiers. “Go. _Go, now_.” He didn’t have the time to say anything more. The soldiers descended on him, one on each side grabbing him from the shoulders and pulling him back up to his feet.

Rin, recovering from her moment of shock, scrambled up to her feet and sprinted out from the centre of the circle that had formed around them. She pushed through the villagers until they naturally parted for her, caught between staring after her and watching the horrific scene unfold. Rin paid them no mind. Running until her lungs burned, she ran toward her hut, where Kagome and Sango were standing outside by the garden with two other village women and the children. Kagome broke off from the conversation as she watched Rin approach, stepping forward to catch the girl as she nearly collapsed in front of them.

“Rin, what’s wrong?” Kagome asked.

Rin fought to catch her breath. “It’s- I- M-Miroku, he’s- it’s my fault, I didn’t think-!” she sobbed.

Sango instantly straightened. Turning to one of the other women, she passed off Hinata into her arms. “Please, watch my children,” she begged, with no time for a thank you when the woman nodded. At the same time, Kagome had instantly set Rin back on her feet and ducked into the hut to grab her quiver and bow. All said and done, within seconds, the two young women were running off with Rin, back toward the village centre. The growing crowd only made them run faster. With the village Priestess approaching, the villagers parted en mass to let her and her companions through. They made it into the village square just as the whip came down, cracking against Miroku’s back. The Monk’s robes had been pushed down off his shoulders and back, hanging around his waist by the cloth tie and leaving his torso bare. The two soldiers held him up and restrained him by each arm. As he whip broke a harsh line of skin on his back, he flinched, but did not cry out.

Sango’s eyes widened, her face paling. “Miroku!” she screamed. She tried to run forward, to stop before they dared draw more blood from her husband, but four soldiers descended on her. Three to hold her back, one to aim his musket at her. Kagome immediately pulled an arrow from her quiver, stringing it onto her bow and pointing it at the Samurai holding the whip.

And in a swift chain reaction, every musket held dropped and aimed at the crowd. The villagers took a collective step back from the weapons, widening the circle as the soldiers creating the barrier threatened to open fire. The Samurai glared back at Kagome, silently daring her to release her arrow. She, and her entire village would pay the dire consequences. And again- Kagome knew it. Sango collapsed to her knees as the same realization hit her like a fist to her stomach.

“Sango,” Miroku grunted, lifting his head to look up at her. “Sango, it’s okay. Let it happen, I’ll be okay. Kagome, please, it’s not worth it.”

Kagome gritted her teeth against the searing tears in her eyes. She was faced with an impossible choice, but there was only one path. Her village would be massacred if she let that arrow fly, but she would never forgive herself if she let this happen to her best friend. As a tear slipped, Kagome slowly eased the tension on her bow string, lowering her bow back to her side. Dropping the weapon, she likewise dropped down. Kagome pulled Sango into her arms, held onto her for dear life and shielding her friend as much as she would allow as the whip came down again.

The Samurai was merciless. Miroku did not cry out on the second strike, or the third, or the fourth... but as blood began to stream down from his back and into the dirt, he could not hold back his howls of pain any longer. Miroku shouted with each crack of the whip against his back after, until his voice cracked and he struggled to stand upright. Too soon, the soldiers at either side were the only thing keeping him on his feet. All the while, Sango screamed out for him, pleading with the Samurai to stop, stop hurting him, _please, she’ll do anything, please stop it._ Kagome only barely held her down as she held back her own manic sobs, listening to the unrelenting whip and Miroku’s cries of pain.

“Hey, come on, that’s enough! You’re going to kill him!” A farmer, Shiro, Kagome recognized from the voice, shouted in protest. He was rewarded with the brass end of the musket coming down on his head, knocking him to the ground.

It seemed, however, that the Samurai agreed. Finally lowering the whip, he nodded to the two soldiers, and they let Miroku drop carelessly to the ground. Miroku, barely conscious through the pain, grunted and whimpered as he hit the dirt. The moment he was released, Sango scrambled up to her feet and raced to him, skidding to her knees at his side. The gruesome criss-cross pattern of lashings across his back were flowing over with blood.

The Samurai stepped back. Methodically coiling the blood soaked whip, he passed it off to be returned to the cattle farmer. His gaze swept the crowd, indifferent to their helpless fury, and landed on Rin, as she cowered behind Kagome.

“Let this be a lesson to _all_ of you.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

That night was quiet. The soft crackle of the fire in the pit of Sango and Miroku’s home rumbled on, broken only by quieter whispers. The twins and Mamoru kept to one corner of the main room, still in sight of their parents, but remarkably silent. Even as young children, they could feel the heavy atmosphere hanging low over the room. Their father lay on the other side of the firepit, laying on his stomach with his wounded back exposed - they didn’t like seeing their father like this. He wasn’t acting right.

Sango knelt diligently at his side, wiping a wet cloth over the wounds on his back, continually horrified by the brutality of it. Miroku flinched as she touched the fabric to an open lash. “Sshhh, I know, love, sshhh, I know it hurts,” she hushed him, throat thick with the tears she struggled to keep at bay. Every whimper from the father of her children shattered her fragile heart, like grinding glass back into sand.

The shoji door slid open. Takuya carried in a bucket of clean water from outside, setting it down beside Sango along with some clean rags - they’d already changed the water four times now. Every bloodied rag had been set outside to dry so they could burn them later. Takuya carried a second, smaller bucket over to Kagome, who sat by the firepit tending to dinner and holding Hinata. The meal was mostly for the kids - she had a distinct feeling that Sango wasn’t going to eat tonight, and Miroku was in so much pain he was barely conscious. Kagome knew she didn’t have much of an appetite.

With the door left open, Takuya crossed the room again to close it. His hand stopped short on the door as he peered out into the dark night. As he stepped aside, a lithe figure emerged from the moonlit path outside the hut, head bowed. Rin entered the home silently, unable to keep eye contact. Walking across the room, she knelt down beside Sango, and placed a palm sized bamboo container before her. With no other words, Rin bowed, pressing her forehead against the floor.

Sango set her rag aside. Lifting the container, she opened the lid. Inside was a medicinal salve, freshly ground and treated herbs wafting up in a sweet and pungent scent. Rin’s shoulders began to tremble with muffled sobs. Putting the salve aside, Sango pulled the girl into her arms and let her bawl her apologies against her chest. Sango had every reason to be angry with Rin. She had every reason to hold a grudge, to reprimand her, to scream - but she didn’t. She couldn’t.

Sango, more than anyone, understood why Miroku had done what he did. This was the girl that had delivered each of her children. Sango understood.

Kagome watched the exchange with a fresh wave of tears, wiping at her face with her sleeve. The night drew on with the same heavy quiet, even as Miroku came too in a later hour. He’d smiled tiredly as Sayuri brought him a crushed little flower she’d picked for him earlier that day, thanking her in a raw, subdued voice as he held it in his palm. He fell unconscious again not long after. The pain was too much. One by one, the occupants of the house fell asleep. Rin curled up with Mamoru and the twins on one futton in the corner, while eventually Sango laid down next to Miroku, with Hinata cuddled between them. Takuya and Kagome went about quietly cleaning up from dinner before making their way back to their huts in the village. Takuya bid her goodnight with a tight squeeze to her hand and a silent look of comfort. Nothing else was needed.

Any hope Kagome had of sleeping was fleeting. She’d been up for a full day now, fatigue weighing heavily on her body, but she knew already that sleep was pointless. She’d close her eyes, and like the nights after the first battle she saw, and the massacre of the Buddhist village, all she would see was her friend being flogged within an inch of his life. There was only one thing she could think to do.

By the time the Moon was centred in the midnight sky, Kagome was standing beneath the Sacred Tree. With a small oil lamp in one hand, she lit the wick of a Flying Lantern, one that Inuyasha had left behind. As the flame inside grew brighter in the pitch darkness of the forest, Kagome let it go. The lantern hovered uncertainly between her outstretched hands, before a gust of wind carried it up past the treetops and into the night.

It wasn’t until the lantern faded into the stars that Kagome finally broke down. Crashing to her knees, she hunched over with the force of her sobs, hugging her arms around her chest. Kagome wasn’t sure what she expected, what she wanted. Inuyasha would never see it, he was likely a day’s worth of travel away by now. She just - needed him. Needed to hope. Needed some kind of answer. Just when everything had seemed okay, it all came crumbling down again with the sharp snap of leather against bare skin.

A chill ran down Kagome’s spine. Sobs dying down to uneven breath and staggered tears, Kagome lifted her head with a frown. Through the total darkness, a faint blue light glowed from the forest beyond the clearing. A single soul collector floated her way through the trees.


	32. Chapter 32

Breathing in a lungful of smoke without flinching, Yorino stepped away from the fire lit atop the Fort’s rampart. Numerous other fires lined the defensive wall, illuminating the passing silhouettes of his soldiers as they patrolled the fortress. Down the slope of the valley below lay the impoverished shithole of a village that he’d been tasked to oversee, the light of their fires slowly burning out. Hands folded behind his back, Yorino glared once more down at the collection of worn down shacks and resumed his pacing along the rampart wall. “You there,” he shouted toward a nearby soldier.

The young soldier jumped, immediately straitening his back as he turned toward his officer and bowed. “Yes, sir!”

Stopping to appraise him in disdain, Yorino motioned for the soldier to stand up. “Report.”

“Nothing much to report. Haven’t seen so much as a bat, it’s all been fairly-” shrinking under the Captain’s disapproving glare, the soldier cleared his throat. “I-I mean, all clear... uh, Sir.”

Yorino kept the young man pinned under his glare until he felt him squirm. “Very well. Back to your post,” he hissed- only to startle even himself as his words slipped into a literal hiss, a sharp rush of air flitting out with his tongue, forked down the center like someone had taken a knife to the tender flesh. The young soldier gasped and stumbled back in horror. Quickly biting his tongue between his teeth, Yorino struck out in anger, fist colliding with the soldier’s cheek. The scales that had grown over the back of his hand had now travelled up his forearm, revealed when his robe’s sleeve fell back with the force of his blow. Snarling down at the soldier, who was now cowering back against the wall, Yorino yanked down his sleeve. “Back to your post,” he repeated through a tightened jaw. Without looking back, he stormed off along the rampart.

The changes were spreading. Only that morning, he’d looked in the mirror to find that the pupil of his right eye had grown long and thin, slited down the center. Though subtle, they were - alarming to say the least. Yorino was not a vain man, but he did not like to think of the implications. He wasn’t the only one experiencing this, either. Lately he’d noticed several of the higher-ranking officers in his outpost alone morphing slowly into hideous creatures. Though they’d tried to hide it, they all knew the lower ranks had noticed - and they were talking. Ever since that evening at Seichi Castle, when all at once the Godstones of the leading Samurai began to glow of their own accord, the changes had begun to hasten. An insurrection wouldn’t be out of the range of possibilities if this continued.

Yorino stopped to the side of another fire, burning away inside an iron bowl. In the light of the flames, he pulled back the sleeve of his robe to examine the gruesome scales emerging from his skin like a thousand little paper cuts. Just the sight of it was enough to make him ill, and at the same time illicit fury. Just a week ago, another officer had attempted to take this issue to Lord Masao. He’d been struck dead on sight. Yorino clenched his scaled fist and turned his eye up to the horizon, out across the rolling hills, forests, and mountains peaking in the far distance.

His gaze, however, did not reach quite that far, as it was caught on a single ball of light floating up over the forest nearby the village. Yorino frowned, squinted, watched as it rose up higher and higher on the midnight wind. He turned to find the nearest soldier. “You,” he pointed toward the man with his unaffiliated hand. The soldier straightened immediately and walked briskly to his side without stumbling over himself in the process. Finally, some competence.

“Sir,” the soldier, a man about Yorino’s age, stopped before him.

Yorino turned his pointing hand out toward the speck of light. “What is that?”

“The light, Captain?” The soldier followed Yorino’s finger toward the anomaly. “That is nothing.”

“It is nothing if I say it is nothing,” Yorino spat. “Tell me what it is.”

“I believe it is a lantern, Captain,” the soldier quickly responded. “Most likely from the village. They are quite popular in the markets, both hanging lanterns and the flying sort. I’ve seen them at a few of the outposts I’ve been stationed at, sir.”

Yorino appraised the soldier. “How many outposts have you been assigned to?”

“Two others,” the soldier replied. “Both were attacked by the demon hoards. I’ve seen them in my home village as well, sir, before I was draft- er... given the great honour of fighting in our Lord’s army,” he said. “In any case, they’ve been hard to come by since the spring. Seems the artisan that was making them hasn’t had as much time. Probably a farmer, had to move back out into the fields once they thawed. It’s a wonder how this village gets so many.”

Yorino’s eyes narrowed, turning from the soldier to the lantern as it ascended. “What do you mean?”

“Well, every so often, one of those flying ones is lit and released from the forest, always after sundown. The other men have told me it’s quite often that one is seen now, with the warm weather and all. Wasn’t so common in the winter, but who could blame them? It’s strange how they seem to be able to get so many, though.”

Yorino was silent for a long moment, considering this information carefully. “I’ve no doubt that the witless villagers have no regard for cost, they’d starve themselves for one simple luxury. But why would they set off so many? There are no festivals, no special occasions warranting this.”

The soldier shrugged. “I am afraid I do not have a clear answer. I’ve never heard anything from the villagers about the lanterns, never really thought to ask.”

Yorino nodded. “And when did this start?”

“I’m told it wasn’t long after a summer festival that Lord Masao hosted last year.”

Yorino turned his chin up, his shoulders taught as the lantern finally vanished into the clouds overhead. He turned back to the soldier. “Back to your post,” he ordered. Walking past the soldier as he did as commanded, Yorino felt suspicion slither its way through his guts, venomous with spite. That Hanyou, Inuyasha, had been a lantern maker. Yorino still remembered the day he was given orders from Lord Masao to have the villagers’ market place ransacked to frame him. The beast had been trying to play human, selling his lanterns in that market to convince the simpletons that he was civilized. There was a connection here. Yorino was sure of it. Inuyasha was alive, of that much he was certain, but his attempts at convincing Lord Masao of this fact had been - unsuccessful to say the very least.

But perhaps now, Yorino had enough evidence to warrant his attention. Perhaps now, Masao would listen.

With his rounds along the ramparts finished, Yorino descended into the fort, and headed straight into his quarters. Sliding the door shut behind him, he pulled down the latch to keep it locked, leaving him in total darkness. Yorino walked into the centre of the room and pulled the Godstone off over his neck. Tossing it in front of him, the crystal fell only an inch before hanging in open air. Its change swayed lightly in an omnipresent breeze, as a pure blue glow emanated from within. Yorino knelt down in front of the crystal. For a long, suffocating moment, there was no sound.

All at once, a deafening roar burst from within the crystal. Yorino fell back, scrambling away in blind fear as the apparition of a great blue dragon emerged from the crystal, it’s long body twisting around itself as it moved in a blind rage around the room. Frozen in fear, Yorino could only watch as the beast’s massive head turned toward him. There was something almost distinctly insect-like about it’s eyes as they locked onto Yorino.

Finally a voice from within the crystal spoke. “What do you want, Captain?” Masao’s voice was rugged, a near growl, uncharacteristic of what used to be his smooth and charismatic tone.

“My... my apologies for disturbing you, My Lord,” Yorino began, trying his damnedest not to stutter like a fool. “It is just... Lord Masao, I have continued reason to believe that the hanyou Inuyasha may still be alive, and collaborating with the village of Lady Kagome.”

The dragon flew toward Yorino with a roar, it’s head stopping only inches away from his body. Yorino, despite himself, flinched back to feebly protect himself. “Will you not give this tired paranoia a rest?!”

“B-But my Lord!” Yorino stammered. “I have only the best in mind for your success in mind! The hanyou was a lantern maker, and his lanterns have been seen-”

“Enough!” Masao commanded, his voice booming through the room like thunder. “The hanyou is dead. He is dead, he _must be_!” Yorino couldn’t help straighten up an inch from his cowering, for at that moment, Masao seemed more intent on convincing himself than his underling. “Lady Kagome is without fault. She is loyal to me, while _your_ persistence boarders on disobedience!”

“I-I swear to you, disobedience has never been my intention,” Yorino said.

“Lady Kagome would never betray me like this. She would never. She is loyal, and pure, and she would never betray me. She would never betray me. Lady Kaede would never-”

“Kaede?” Yorino frowned, flinching back when the apparition’s eyes narrowed on him. “My Lord, don’t you mean Lady Kagome?”

Masao went silent. With long, graceful movements in contrast to its earlier erratic flying, the dragon lifted its head and looked toward the west, focused on something invisible to the mortal eye. “That priestess...” Masao’s voice whispered from the crystal. “She is...”

In one burst of light, the dragon disappeared, shrinking back into the crystal until the room went dark, and the crystal fell with a clatter onto the floor. It slowly rolled toward Yorino stopping a few feet away from him. Slowly, the Captain picked himself up, taking the crystal into the palm of his afflicted hand. His fist clenched around it.

All disillusionment vanished. Masao had gone mad, completely out of his wits. If he would not listen to reason, Yorino would just have to show it to him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A single soul collector floated toward her through the trees. Its long body weaved gracefully through the forest, around tree trunks and branches, all with a singular attention on the priestess kneeling under the Sacred Tree. Kagome was held captive by it, dry tears still staining her cheeks. Slowly, Kagome rose to her feet, just as the soul collector curled itself around her body. The creature circled around her, waist, her torso, and finally her arm as it lifted it toward the distant blue light glowing from within the forest. The soul collector flew toward the light, circling back only once in a silent beckon for Kagome to follow it. Caught in a curious trance, Kagome obeyed.

It was the same light that had bloomed from the forest the day she’d least seen Kaede’s spirit under the tree. The light itself was intense, but not intimidating, softly spreading itself along the forest floor, touching every leaf, every tree and blade of grass. Kagome could feel it on her face, pale as moonlight, as she followed the soul collector. It took a while for her exhausted mine to recognize the path, but the moment she stepped into the clearing, Kagome realized that the creature had lead her to the ruins of the old shrine.

The blue light emanated from the cracks in the stone, aged and weathered carvings in ornate designs, broken and scattered throughout the clearing. Overturned altars and dry purification wells all glowed softly where they were shattered and ripped up. The red paint of deteriorated Torri gate pillars was faded, but still cast violet shadows in contrast with the indigo glowing. Dozens, maybe even hundreds, of shinidamachū danced through the clearing, turning over and circling around each other in the air. As Kagome entered the ruined shrine, they both followed and lead her on, like greeting an old friend. Kagome had stood at the entrance to the old ruins before, but had never dared, nor really had the time or reason, to explore the devastated shrine.

Through the serene and eerie quiet of the forest, a crunch sounded as Kagome accidentally stepped on an old roof tile. The tile began to glow along the cracks. Kagome watched the light in awe, before carefully stepping around it, and continuing to follow the soul collectors. They lead her deeper into the ruins, past overgrown bushes and younger trees, the remnants of buildings and staircases leading up man-made hills that had begun to sink back into the forest floor. Finally, as the soul collectors twisted around a bend in the path, Kagome came to a fault in front of a spirit, sitting patiently at the foot of what once had been the main shrine house, the only structure left with anything that resembled walls and a roof. The skeleton of the ancient sacred place glistened with light seeping through the thousands of hairline fractures.

Kaede’s spirit, appearing to Kagome as a young woman about her age, rose to her feet and slowly walked toward her. Kagome held completely still, though oddly enough, she felt no fear. There wasn’t a drop of malicious energy about this spirit. Kaede greeted her like a dear friend, a soft mile gracing her silent lips as she reached her hand out to her. _“Kagome,”_ she said, and as she spoke her voice was multiple, layered with the little girl, the young woman, and the elderly priestess that Kagome had known. _“It is time. You must know.”_

Kagome raised her hand hesitantly. She reached out, but before she could take the spirit’s hand, a shinidamachū floated between them, nuzzling its face into Kaede’s palm. In a gradual transformation, the creature’s body turned into scraps of paper that fluttered on the midnight breeze and fell into Kaede’s hand. Though the spirit’s palm was transparent, the paper sat that is if it were just as physical as Kagome’s body, seeming to float in mid-air. Kaede looked up at Kagome with her single, soulful eye, and smiled. Closing her palm, the paper burst into white flames in her hand. Immediately, Kagome was hit with the scent of a fragrant smoke, the herbal scent similar to what Takuya had used in her past life regression. The invisible smoke overwhelmed her senses, completely engulfed her, until Kagome was coughing through it and stumbling back.

Her back hit a tree.

When Kagome opened her eyes, it was daylight. The sky was clear, and she stood along the forest past that lead into the village from the southern roads. Cicadas chirped in the trees, as the day drew into late afternoon, and heat bore down from the sun with a heavy intensity. Two girls walked along the path, one at about seventeen years old, and the other about six. The younger child dragged herself along the path, pushing back her straw hat to wipe at her forehead.

“Sister, are we there yet? My feet hurt,” the girl whined.

“Not much further Kaede, please be patient,” Kikyo sighed.

Kagome gaped in awe at what she was seeing. She stepped out of the way before the two girls could walk into her, but to her amazement, they passed by without acknowledgment. They could not see her. What was stranger was that as Kikyo spoke, Kagome felt memories of this moment trickle into her own mind, recalling the same scene through her own eyes. They had been traveling for two days since leaving Grandmother’s Shrine, and the summer heat had been unforgiving. Kagome felt it all, the blistering in her feet, and the weight of all they owned on her back. It wasn’t much, but days on end of carrying portions of rice, herbs, and other possessions had left her aching. Kagome followed without moving, nothing but a spectre.

Before long, the path opened up to the village. It was larger than Kagome had ever known, not exactly a bustling city, but a quaint town obviously more well off than it would be in fifty years. The homes were sturdier, built with more expensive material, more comfortable. The market place was more than a collection of carts and stalls, with proper buildings housing the merchants. The moment Kaede saw it, she skipped ahead, eyes wide in excitement. “It’s lovely!” she exclaimed.

“Yes, I think so too,” Kikyo smiled.

Kaede hurried back to her sister’s side. “Kikyo, may I dip my feet in the water?” she asked, gesturing toward the stream flowing through the centre of the village. “Please?”

“We must meet with the village leaders first, Kaede,” Kikyo shook her head. “And then we are to be shown to our home, and then to the Shrine. Our duties begin right away,” she said. Looking down at her younger sister, however, she couldn’t help taking in the disappointed pout on her exhausted face. “Oh, alright,” Kikyo sighed. “You may dip your feet in the river, but not for too long. You can find your way to the village centre when you’re done, okay? I’ll meet you there.”

Kaede’s face lit up. “I can find it! Thank you, Sister!”

“Here, give me your bags,” Kikyo took the packs off of her sister’s back, treading them over her arms. They were obviously a bit too heavy for her with the added wait of her own bags, but she carried them nonetheless. Kaede threw her arms around her sister, barely reaching her waist, before running off toward the stream.

Kagome followed Kaede, watching only briefly as Kikyo struggled to continue on into the village, where she could see a group of older men and women waiting for her. Kaede, free from the burden of her sacs, scampered to the riverbank. Dropping herself on the edge of the bank, she slipped the wooden sandals off her feet and stuck her blistered feet into the water, splashing the hem of her kimono. Kaede quickly rolled up the edges to her knees. She sighed in relief as the cool water soothed her aching soles.

“Who are you?”

Kaede sat upright and looked to the opposite side of the river. A boy about her age stood on the other side, hands behind his back, and gazing at her with a deep frown. Despite his aggressive expression, he shifted back when she looked up at him.

“Are you the new Priestess’ sister?” the boy asked.

Kaede nodded. “Yes, I am. My name’s Kaede, what’s yours?”

The boy’s face grew red, right up to the tips of his ears. “Uh...” he stuttered as he looked back over his shoulder, where an older man in Samurai armour was beckoning him on from afar. He stood with a group of other adults, and as Kaede leaned over to get a peak around the boy, she could see her sister standing amoung them. The boy turned back to Kaede. He swallowed hard. “Here.” Thrusting his hands out from behind his back, he ducked his head and held out a small bundle wrapped in simple cloth.

Kaede tilted her head, glancing between the boy and the bundle, then at the distance between them across the stream.

The boy, seeming to realize his error, only grew more read faced. “Oh, um, I’ll just- there’s a bridge over there, I’ll-”

“Wait, I can do it,” Kaede said as she pushed herself to her feet. Leaving her shoes on the ground, Kaede backed up several steps, judged the distance, and without warning took a running leap across the river. She only barely landed on her feet on the bank of the otherside, but slipped in the moist soil. She yelped, blindly reaching out for something to keep her balanced. Her fist curled into the front of the boy’s haori, and surely enough they both went tumbling down into the shallow river.

Kaede and the boy crawled up the riverbank, dripping wet and coughing up water. Stopping short when a pair of sandals and red hakama stood in her way, Kaede sheepishly looked up to find her elder sister frowning down at her, arms crossed and eyes stern. “Kaede.”

Kaede shrunk back. “I-It was an accident! I didn’t-”

“No excuses,” Kikyo snapped. “We haven’t been here more than an hour, I cannot _believe_ you would-”

“It wasn’t her fault!” The boy interrupted. “I, um... I pushed her.”

The Samurai who had been watching with the other village elders stepped up beside Kikyo. “ _Why_ would you push her?”

The boy shrugged. “I dunno. She’s a girl.” The Samurai’s eyes narrowed. He flinched. “Sorry, Father.”

“You had better be,” the man huffed. “This is no way to treat our new neighbors, especially not distinguished Priestesses.” The Samurai turned to Kikyo. “Lady Kikyo, my sincerest apologies for my son’s behaviour.”

“And mine for my sister,” Kikyo bowed cordially, sending her little sister another glare when the Samurai couldn’t see her face. The expression skillfully disappeared as soon as she stood upright again. “Your village has been most welcoming, I can only hope that we can be deserving of it.”

“I have no doubt that you will,” The boy’s father nodded as he looked back down at his son. “Speaking of welcomes...”

The boy jumped into action, scrambling back down the river bank to snatch up the bundle that he had dropped. It thankfully hadn’t fallen completely into the river, but one side had dipped into the water. He handed it over to Kaede, refusing to meet her eyes as he did. Kaede took it somewhat hesitantly, unwrapping the damp cloth to find folded layers of fabric, needles, and fine rolls of multicoloured thread. “What is it?” she asked.

Kikyo knelt down next to her sister to examine the package. “It’s for embroidery. I’ll teach you how to do it later tonight. It’s a gift. Say thank you, Kaede.”

Scrambling up to her feet, Kaede folded the bundle again and held it against her chest. “Thank you for the gift,” she said with a low bow, her sopping hair falling in her face as she stood up again.

“It is my pleasure,” the man laughed. “I thought the young sister of our new Priestess might like something to keep her busy while her elder sister tends to the Shrine.” As the Shrine came up in conversation, the Samurai lead Kikyo on toward the forest, where the rooftop of the grand shrine could just barely be seen over the sea of trees. Kaede watched them retreat toward the paddies before turning toward the strange boy. “You didn’t have to- hey!” she called out. The boy had already begun to walk away with a hurried step. “Wait!” When he didn’t stop, Kaede ran ahead of him and stood in his path. “You didn’t have to lie for me, but thank you. My sister is very strict. She probably would have made me do all our laundry by myself tonight,” Kaede laughed.

“Yeah, uh,” the boy looked down at his feet. “Okay.”

Kaede smiled, bending down and turning her head so she could look at the boy upside down when he refused to look her in the eye. “You know, I still don’t know your name. You know mine, it’s only fair.”

The boy was silent for a moment wide-eyed that the new girl was looking at him, and seemingly so interested. He snapped up straight immediately. “Um... my name’s Masao.”

“Masao,” Kaede repeated. “You’re rather shy, aren’t you?” she asked. The boy only nodded. “That’s alright, being shy isn’t so bad.”

“Kaede!” Kikyo called from the edge of the village, where the path stretched out over the rice fields toward the forest. “Come on!”

“I’ve gotta go,” Kaede rushed as she ran toward her sister, turning back only to call out, “I’m glad I’ve made a friend already, Masao!”

Kagome stepped forward to follow after Kaede. The moment her foot hit the ground, she was in lush grass. In the span of a single blink, Kagome found herself standing in a wide glade in the middle of the forest, golden with late summer. A group of children danced in a circle, holding hands as they surrounded Kaede, who knelt in the centre with her eyes covered. On the other side of the glade, Kikyo sat under the shade of a maple tree, watching as the children played. Once again, the same scene surfaced in Kagome’s memories, watching from the other woman’s eyes. Two years had passed since they’d first arrived in this village.

“Masao!” Kaede chirped when the children stopped singing.

“You got it again, Kaede!” Another child laughed.

Kaede popped up, a brilliant smile on her face as she dropped her hands and turned around to find her best friend standing behind her. She laughed, light as the afternoon breeze, as she threw her arms around the boy in a strong hug. “That’s five! I win!” she cheered.

“You did!” Masao laughed as he hugged her back. “That was amazing Kaede!”

“Thank you!” Kaede giggled as she let go. “Say, Masao, do you want to play in the water? It’s so hot outside, I want to cool down!”

Masao smiled back, all shyness toward his friend long gone. “Sure!”

“Okay, just let me ask my sister!” Kaede said before turning and running off toward the priestess. Kikyo eyes softened as Kaede approached, the Sacred Jewel glistening as it hung around her neck.

“I won, Sister!” Kaede cheered as the children dispersed to find new games.

“What did you win?” Kikyo asked, drawing her sister’s hands into her lap with a smile.

Kaede giggled. “I won at Kagome! I can always guess who is behind me, so I won _five_ times!”

“That’s wonderful, Kaede, but you mustn’t brag.”

Kaede sighed. “I know, I know.”

Kikyo shot her a warning look, but couldn’t stop the smile still tugging at the corners of her mouth. Kaede often complained that she didn’t smile with her whole face.

“May we play in the water?” Kaede asked, pointing back to Masao, hovering bashfully just a few feet behind them.

Kikyo looked back at him before she nodded. “Yes, but stay on the bank where I can see you, and don’t go into the deeper water. The current is weak in this part of the river, but it’s still dangerous.”

“Thank you!” Kaede beamed, giving her sister a parting kiss on the cheek before she was scampering off to her friend. “Come on, Masao! I’ll race you!” The two children went running off toward the other side of the glade, where through a sparse line of trees, the river ran through the forest. The other children were quick to pick up a new game. Kaede ran beside Masao, struggling to beat his speed with thrilled laughter, only to come to a hault when she saw Kikyo stand up out of the corner of her eyes. Kaede slowed down with a frown, turning to watch as Kikyo rose up like she was waking from a strange dream. The priestess stared after Masao like she was seeing him for the first time. A chill Kaede didn’t understand ran down her spine. She watched as Kikyo turned, and stared at something off in the trees.

“I won this time, Kaede! Hey, come on!” Masao called from the river.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Kaede sent one last glance over at her sister before running off to join her friend. Masao seemed awfully proud for having won their race. Kaede just couldn’t have that, now could she? Picking up into a sprint, Kaede jumped next to Masao in the river, tucking her body into a ball as she splashed into the water, sending a wave over her friend. She didn’t even care that her whole kosode was soaked now. The look on her friend’s face was worth it.

“Kaede!” Masao sputtered. “That’s no fair!”

Kaede only laughed and splashed him again. “Too bad!”

The children soon dissolved into a water fight, until their arms were tired and they were both too soaked through to tell who had one anyway. Resigning themselves to dry off on a large bounder at the edge of the river with only their feet dangling in the water, the inseparable young friends turned from rivalry to aimless conversation, watching the fluffy white clouds drift lazily through the sky.

“...and then sister released three arrows at once, and hit all three of the demons! It was incredible!” Kaede gushed. “Sister Kikyo is the strongest, most beautiful Priestess _ever_. Even the foreman of the village we helped said so. I kept teasing her about it on our journey home until she got all mad at me.”

“Wow,” Masao said in honest awe. “Can you do any of that Priestess stuff yet?”

“Nah,” Kaede shrugged as she kicked her feet in the water. “Sister says that she’ll start teaching me soon. I’ve tried archery, but I’m no where near as good as her yet. I’m just glad that sister gets to teach me, instead of Grandmother,” she shook her head at the mention of that woman alone. Kaede fell quiet for a moment, watching was a school of minnows fluttered past her toes in the clear water. “Actually... can I tell you a secret, Masao?”

“Sure,” Masao nodded, before smiling at her -- his two bottom teeth had recently fallen out, leaving a gap-toothed grin. “I’m the best at keeping secrets.”

Kaede laughed and splashed him with her foot. He splashed her back, but her laughter faded off. “I don’t actually really want to be a priestess when I’m older,” she sighed. “Priestesses always have to follow rules, and they never get to do what they want. Sister never really looks happy, and I want to be happy when I’m as old as her,” she said as she leaned back on her hands. Kaede tilted her head back, soaking in the rays of the sun. “I think maybe I want to be a seamstress, or maybe a cook in a nobleman’s house, or maybe even a wife with lots of kids and a husband who buys me nice robes. But I don’t want to be a Priestess.”

“Yeah?” Masao said as he imitated her position. “I don’t really want to be a Samurai, either. Father expects me to become a warrior and serve the Takeda clan as a vassal, like him, but... I don’t know. I don’t really like fighting. Not sure what I want to be, but I know that I don’t want to serve _anyone_.”

“Well,” Kaede began as she sat up straight again. “Let’s promise that no matter what, we’ll do what we want. And we’ll always be friends until then,” with a bright smile, she lifted her hand and held out her pinky, waiting impatiently for Masao to do the same.

Masao looked back at her, and for the first time since they’d met, his scarlet blush crawled up to his ears. He hastily held out his hand and curled his pinky finger around hers. “Uh, yeah. Promise.”

Giving their curled fingers an extra tight squeeze, Kaede’s smile bloomed into a wide grin. All at once letting go, she scrambled up to her feet and began running off through the forest. “Race you to the Sacred Tree!” she called behind her.

Masao gaped at her. “But we just had a race!”

“I want a rematch!”

Kagome was pulled after her. So absorbed in memories that did not belong to her, she found herself forgetting her own presence at times, forgetting that she was just a spectre to events long past. She watched from afar, following after Kaede as she ran through the forest, through the elegant shrine, and toward the Sacred Tree. The moment she broke through the trees, what used to be a garden, surrounding the glade of the Sacred Tree, the scene abruptly changed. It was the first scene that did not draw a recollection from her- this was where Kikyo’s memories had ended.

It was a dark, deep night. The moon was a hazy mirage in the sky, blocked out by thick smoke. Through the trees toward the shrine, a massive fire blazed on. A funeral pyre. The smoke clung heavily to the air, coating the sky and the surrounding forest. Kaede knelt at the base of the Sacred Tree, sobbing hysterically against Masao as the boy tried to comfort her. Against the tree, suspended by a single arrow, Inuyasha hung in a dormant sleep, dead to all the world.

Through her unrelenting tears, Kaede glared up at the hanyou, her right eye freshly bandaged. She’d lost everything. Her sister, the only constant in her life, her only _real_ family, and this beast had taken it all from her. What was worse, she had _trusted_ him. Inuyasha had grown close to her sister, made her smile and laugh, and he had betrayed her. With a throat filleting shout, Kaede took the short blade that hung from a sheath at Masao’s side, a gift from his father, and ran at the dormant hanyou. There was no hesitation, no holding back. Kaede plunged the blade toward Inuyasha’s chest with the intent to run him through, only for the blade to bounce back as if she’d struck stone. Kaede stumbled backwards a few steps in shock, before her fury returned as she tried to slash out at him. Again, not so much as a scratch. With increasing frustration and fresh tears, Kaede slashed, stabbed, and tore at Inuyasha’s body. None of it made a difference.

“Kaede, stop it!” Masao called out from behind her. “You’re only gonna hurt yourself, stop!”

Finally snapped out of her blind rage, Kaede let the blade fall from her fingers, sticking upright as it sank into the damp soil. Kaede slipped down to her knees once again. Masao hesitantly walked up behind her, uncertain of himself as he laid a hand on her shoulder. Kaede’s burning gaze, flicking in the light of her sister’s funeral pure, never strayed from the half-demon. “I hate you,” she seethed up at Inuyasha. “ _I hate you!_ I won’t rest until all your kind perishes for what you did to my sister! Do you hear me?! I’ll kill _all_ of you!” Kaede screamed, and screamed, her voice cracking like a dam as her tears flooded down her cheeks again.

Thunder rolled overhead in an ominous reply. As she watched, Kagome felt a phantom pain churn in her gut. She half expected to look up and find an eclipsed moon burning overhead. All she saw was a crack of lightning, and a rush of dark rain. When she looked down, she was standing on the engawa of a wealthy home. The light of the warm fires inside made a silhouette of the boy standing in the open doorway. Kaede stood on the porch, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat and thick shawl. A small bag hung at her side with everything she cared to take with her. Behind her, a woman in her mid-twenties stood in similar travelling attire, wearing the robes of a Priestess underneath. Rain poured down hard onto the tilled roof, sliding off the edge of the porch in little waterfalls.

“I am leaving tonight for my Grandmother’s Shrine,” Kaede murmured, bloodshot eye glued to the wooden floor.

Masao looked between her and the older woman, his expression bordering on heartbreak. “What do you mean you’re leaving? I thought you didn’t-”

“None of that _matters_ now, Masao. Don’t you see that?” Kaede snapped as she finally looked up at her friend. “I am going to start my training as Priestess, so that I may finish what my sister started.” Masao took a step back at the harshness of her biting tone. The bitter taint to Kaede’s expression faded. “I am sorry, Masao...” she murmured, “but this is for the best. I’ll... I’ll come back as soon as I’m a strong Priestess. I promise.”

“I, um...” Masao reached up to rub the back of his neck, “I understand,” he sighed. “You won’t... you won’t forget about me, will you?”

Kaede smiled despite herself, eye brimming with unshed tears. Unable to hold back any longer, she threw her arms around her friend. “Masao, don’t be silly. I could never forget about you!”

“Kaede,” the woman beckoned behind her. “Come, the caravan will be leaving soon. We don’t want to have to walk in this weather.”

Stepping back from Masao with a sigh, Kaede let her arms fall to her side. “Yes, Aunt Shunka,” she murmured. Taking her aunt’s hand, she let the woman lead her to the edge of the porch, only to stop short of the wall of rain. She looked back over her shoulder. “Goodbye, Masao,” Kaede said as she stepped out into the pouring night. She disappeared from sight within moments.

Kagome followed after her. The moment she moved out into the rain, she found herself transported to the shrine grounds, standing before the main shrine house. A young Priestess removed a cloth from where it had been tied from her shoulder to her waist, and placed it on the ground beside her. Stretching her arms above her head, she gazed up at the shrine with the softness of coming home.

Footsteps clamoured up the stone steps behind her. Kaede spun around as a young man in Samurai armour hurried up the final steps, out of breath from what must have been a hasty run from the village. The moment the young man laid eyes on her, he froze. Neither adolescents said a word, caught in a wide-eyed silence. A cool autumn wind drifted through the shrine grounds.

“I heard you had returned,” the young man finally spoke, still struggling to catch his breath. “I’m not sure if you remember me, it’s... it’s been a long time, and we were only children, but-”

“Masao,” Kaede laughed. “Didn’t I tell you I could never forget about you? Don’t tell me you’re the one who’s forgotten.”

Masao’s face lit up in a gradual smile. “Not for a moment,” he beamed, closing the distance between himself and his childhood friend with a strong embrace. It was familiar, nearly trembling with pent up emotion and relief, but still nothing more than platonic.

Kaede threw her arms around the young man with a trill of laughter. When she let go, she stepped back and held him at arm’s length. In truth, she almost hadn’t recognized him at first. He’d grown so much from the blushing boy she’d known as a child, now a young distinguished young vassal and soldier. “Look at you!” she laughed, reaching out to take his sword from its sheath before he could manage to stop her. “You’re a real Samurai now, huh? Bet you think you’re hot stuff,” she grinned as she turned the blade over in her hands.

“Hey, wai- Kaede!” Masao complained as he snatched the katanna back. “Be careful with that, it’s not a toy!”

“It’s not a toy!” she mimicked him.

Masao mock glared at her as he returned his sword to its sheath. “Well, look at you,” he said with barely contained laughter. “If you think you’re such a great Priestess, why don’t you show off one of your tricks, huh?”

Kaede took a playful swipe at his arm - it didn’t quite have the same effect when he had armour on. “First of all, they are not tricks,” she said. “And second...” with a smile, Kaede reached into the folds of her kimono and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Opening the paper down the centre in her palm, she blew gently into it. The paper dissolved into shredded pieces, which grew and transformed as they took to the air, turning into beautiful, insect-like creatures that flew around them with graceful tendrils.

Masao, despite all his teasing, watched the creatures in awe. “What are these? Dragons?” he asked.

Kaede simply laughed and reached her hand out to pet one as it flew by. “Not quite. They are called shinidamachū. Sister used to conjure them at this shrine,” she said, a nostalgic sadness seeping into her tone at the mention of her departed sister. “My Aunt Shunka taught me how to conjure them when she took over my training. They are soul collectors, and they are meant to service the Dragon Diety that we honour here. They are more like insects than dragons themselves.”

“Amazing,” Masao murmured as he hesitantly reached out to touch one. He frowned when he immediately fluttered away from his hand. None of them seemed to want to go near him. Shaking off his disappointment, he looked back to his friend. “Well, I am certainly glad that all this time away wasn’t for nothing,” he smiled. His expression morphed into curiosity as he finally spotted the object sitting at Kaede’s feet. The cloth covering had fallen away some to reveal a crystal geode nearly the size of his head. “What is that?” he asked.

Kaede followed his gaze down to the geode. “It is... actually something you may be able to help me with.”

A soul collector few in front of Kagome’s face. By the time it’s long white body floated past her, the light had changed, but the setting had not. On a clear night, hundreds of soul collectors flew in rabid circles in front of the shrine house, all centred around one blinding blue light emanating from below. Masao held the Godstone above his head, struggling to keep it up against the raw energy pouring into it. In front of him Kaede held herself steady, hands steadfast in prayer, as she kept the light within the crystal geode strong. Like a typhoon, the shinidamachū spiralled downwards into the geode, vanishing into the light as they became one with it.

Finally, the light disappeared. Kaede collapsed to her knees as Masao did the same, lowering the geode to the ground between them as carefully as his weakened arms could without dropping it. Both the Priestess and the Samurai fought the overwhelming exhaustion, struggling to catch their breaths. Sweat glistened on their foreheads in spite of the mid-winter chill. Frost coated the stones beneath them, snow blanketing the forest surrounding the shrine.

“Kaede,” Masao panted when he finally had enough air in his lungs to speak. “What... what did you just do?” He hadn’t asked much about the ritual she’d been planning for months now, leaving his complete faith in her.

Kaede pushed herself to sit upright with trembling arms. She reached out, brushing her hand over the geode’s rough outer surface with a singular determination in her eye. “I just created the most powerful weapon against all demons,” she whispered in reverence. “The Godstone... with this, we can purify and absorb the yoki of any demon just by being _near_ it...” Kaede smiled at Masao. “Don’t you see, Masao? With this, we can completely purify the land. We can put an end to all the suffering, all the death and famine that demons bring on us.” Kaede’s smile was near manic.

Maybe it was just the exhaustion, maybe it was the adrenaline, Kagome didn’t know. But as Kaede spoke about the power of the stone she had just created, Masao mirrored her smile, the first seeds of power hungry obsession planted in his mind. He looked more and more like the Masao that she knew. Around that frozen smile, the scene melted, morphed into a hideous battlefield.

“Masao!” Kaede shouted out from beside him. “Now!”

As the young Samurai unfrozen, the scene became all too familiar. Masao reached toward a chain on his armour, where a chuck of crystal from the Godstone geode hung. He held it out in unison with Kaede, who wore a similar stone around her neck. They crystals pulsed with a blue glow before exploding with light. A hoard of demons flying down towards them from the war blackened sky cried out with deafening pain. One by one, the gruesome creatures began to drop from the sky, entirely powerless. Kaede turned over her shoulder to a line of soldiers. “Go!” she commanded. With resounding battle cries, the soldiers spilled like a flood onto the battlefield, swords, sickles, and spears raised high and without fear as they slaughtered the weakened demons with ease.

Masao held onto his stone with both hands, his grip turning his knuckles white as he absorbed every last drop of power that he could from the wretched demons. The voice calling out to him from his side was completely overpowered by the blood roaring in his ears.

“Masao... Masao, that’s enough!” Kaede snapped as her hand wrapped around Masao’s to push the Godstone down. “That’s enough, they’re already dead.”

Finally letting go of the connection, Masao dropped the crystal and let it dangle from the chain against his armor. His eyes snapped to a glare at Kaede, who met it with a resistant intensity. Gradually coming to his senses, Masao let out a harsh breath and wiped his brow. He picked the Godstone up again, letting it rest in his palm. “It’s incredible...” he breathed. “I’ve never felt so much raw power... it’s like grabbing lightning by the fist.”

“Yes...” Kaede replied slowly, her own tone a little less enthralled as she looked out over the field of demon corpses. “I suppose it’s a little... overwhelming.”

“Kaede, do you understand what potential this has?” Masao asked. Pushing his Godstone into Kaede’s palms, he closed her hands around it and folded his own hands over hers. “With this, you could absorb the energy of more and more powerful demons, you could _use it for yourself_ , and-”

Kaede let go of the Godstone as if she’d been burned. “No, Masao,” she hissed. “No, we are not using this for power. It’s about purification, about destroying demons, not _harvesting_ them.”

“Kaede, don’t be naive!” Masao argued. “You’ll never destroy the demon scourge if you can’t overpower it-”

“It’s not about power, Masao!” Kaede shouted. _“Power_ is what the Shikon Jewel was about, weak men and demons who wanted to fight off their own helplessness, and it’s what got my sister killed! I’m not turning this into another Shikon Jewel, do you understand me?”

Masao’s eyes cleared. If nothing else could get through to him, it was hearing the emotional quiver in Kaede’s voice. “I’m... I’m sorry, Kaede. I should have known better.”

Kaede’s tense shoulders dropped with a slow out-breath through her nose. She lowered her head. “It’s alright, Masao. I understand.” With nothing more than that, she turned and began to walk away from the battle field, toward the distant border of trees that bled into a vast forest. Kagome, spectre that she was, was dragged along after her. The pattern here was growing clearer and clearer with each passing scene. Kagome wasn’t surprised in the least when, as soon as she and her ever-constant companion Kaede stepped through the treeline, she found herself walking into a different day.

Early spring trickled its way through the forest surrounding Kaede’s shrine, breathing life into the dead grass and filling the naked trees with little green buds. Kaede walked on without missing a step, gracefully flowing from the horrid massacre of the previous memory to the lush quiet of the next. She slowed to a stop with a fond smile and a shake of her head. Not far in front of her, Masao had fallen asleep at the base of the Shrine steps. It was a rare sight to see him without his armour, but he’d shed it on this warm morning in favour of plain robes and hakama. He hadn’t even tied his hair back, allowing it to fall unruly over his shoulders. He did, though, still have his Godstone, the chain now hanging around his neck. He never took it off.

Kaede sighed and nudged the young man with her foot. “Masao. Masao, wake up!” she laughed. The square of embroidered fabric in her hand fluttered with the movement as she nudged him again..

Masao woke up with a startled jolt, his hand reaching down for a sword that, of course, wasn’t there. When he realized where he was and who he was with, the young Samurai groaned and leaned back against the steps. “Kaede, you shouldn’t sneak up on me like that,” he moaned.

Kaede rolled her eye. “I was _not_ sneaking. Really, it's foolish of you to sleep the day away!" she laughed. "What would your Lords say?"

Masao’s eyes narrowed up at her. “Why should I care what they say? I’m just a vassal, I’m no one to them.”

"Yes, well I'm still certain they wouldn't appreciate it." Kaede continued on.

Masao’s lip turned up in a smirk. “What makes you so certain?”

Kaede only shook her head. "Vassels of the Takeda clan have their duties, and so do Priestesses. You're going to get _both_ of us in trouble."

“A little bit of trouble can’t hurt,” Masao chuckled as he pushed himself upright. “I was up early, taking a walk out by the Sacred Tree. Fell asleep here waiting for you.”

Kaede frowned. "What were you doing out there?” Her answer came in a pointed look from Masao, telling her without words that she knew _exactly_ what he’d been trying to do. Kaede only sighed, tone hinting on frustration. “I've told you, it's no good. I've tried to pull the arrow out myself a thousand times by now." Kaede sighed. "It seems only my sister can release that Hanyou. There's no sense in dwelling on it, I guess...”

“Well,” Masao shrugged, “trying certainly has a way of relieving boredom. Not much else to do in the woods this early.”

Kaede took a swipe at his arm with her fabric. “Oh, hush. Come on, my family from the Sengen shrine is coming to visit today, and they could be here any moment now. I want to see how my little cousin has grown!" Kaede’s smile, bright and vibrant as it was, vanished in the blink of an eye. Her head snapped to her side, gaze wide and glazed over as she stared straight at Kagome. Spectre or not, Kagome felt a chill run through her as Kaede frowned and reached out to her, embroidery dropping from her outstretched hand. As quickly as the spell came over her, it seemed to vanish.

Masao reached down to catch the fabric before it could hit the ground. He looked up at his friend in concern as he stood upright again. “Kaede, what’s wrong?”

“I thought...” Kaede trailed off. “I thought for a moment that I saw my sister there,” she said as she pointed straight at Kagome. Masao followed her finger, staring straight through her, but that didn’t stop the sick churning in Kagome’s gut as she watched. Kaede shook her head and took her fabric back from Masao. “It’s nothing. Just my mind playing tricks on me, with my family visiting today and all,” she said. Reaching out with her free hand, she grabbed onto Masao’s sleeve and tugged him along. “Come on. Shunka’s son Takuya is just beginning to talk, it’s adorable.”

Kaede led Masao back through the forest, away from the shrine and toward the path that lead down to the village. They passed the time with idle chatter, Kaede doing most of the talking with Masao interjecting only so often to let her know that he was, in fact, listening. They walked into the glade of the Sacred Tree. Early morning in spring bled into late afternoon in summer. The two separated. Kagome struggled to keep up.

“Masao!” Kaede rushed into the clearing, roughly pushing Masao aside from where he stood in front of the Sacred Tree. Godstone outstretched in his hand, the blue glow faded the moment the Priestess interrupted. Kaede planted herself between Masao and Inuyasha, the dormant Hanyou oblivious to the tense atmosphere on the forest floor below him. “Masao! Leave this place! Get out! _Get out!_ ”

Masao stumbled before righting himself, glaring back at the Priestess. Hair fell in disarray over his face, eyes hollow and burning with righteous rage. “Kaede, what are you doing?!” he seethed. “How can you defend that _thing_?!”

Kaede refused to be moved. “I’ve told you, I- I’ve been having dreams, dreams I don’t understand, and...” she looked up at Inuyasha, confusion and unrelenting emotional _pain_ weighing heavily on her brow. “I don’t know anymore, I don’t think it was that _simple_ , he-”

“They’re just _dreams_ , Kaede! You’re obsessing over nothing, and I can put an end to it!” Masao held out the Godstone, his hand trembling with the grip he had on it. “Don’t you see? I’m just doing what you’ve been too cowardly to do all along!”

“ _Enough!_ ” Kaede roared. Marching toward the young man without hesitation or fear, Kaede snatched the Godstone right out of his hand. Masao, in his complete shock, let her without a fight. “The Godstone’s power has made you mad,” she hissed. “You cannot handle it anymore. You cannot be trusted. Now, _get out_.”

Masao’s mind caught up with his body. His hand snapped up, poised as if to strike her in his blind rage. His arm shook, his lip curled in a snarl- but he couldn’t do it. Furious as he was, he couldn’t strike Kaede. Dropping his hand with a guttural shout, he turned on his heel and stormed off through the woods.

Left in solemn silence, Kaede’s adrenaline feuled anger ran out. Her legs gave out from underneath her, as she watched her only friend walk away. Slowly she uncurled her fingers, staring numbly down at the pale blue crystal in the palm of her hand. Closing her fist around it again, she held it to her chest and bit back a sob. Her eye gravitated up toward the sealed Hanyou. All these years, she’d been waiting for him to disappear. To be absorbed by the tree, to vanish, to just die already and stop _haunting_ her. “Why,” she whispered. “Why did she seal you to this tree? Why didn’t Kikyo just _kill_ you, why-” she choked off. She already knew the answer.

There was no fanfare this time. No transition, no warning. It was getting too much. Within a single blink, the Sacred Tree and surrounding forest was replaced with the interior of a familiar hut. Kaede gasped in horror as she opened a trunk in the corner to find the Godstone geode missing, the indent of its weight in the cloth bed still fresh. Only one other person knew where she hid it. Stomach sick with dead, Kaede nearly tripped over herself in her rush to get to the window of her modest home. A faint blue glow erupted from the Shrine in the distant forest.

Another blink. Kaede raced up the steps to the shrine house in the dead of night. A violent wind tore the tiles off the rooftops, uprooted bushes and cracked tree branches. Kaede shielded her face from the razor edges of the leaves whipping around her as she stumbled her way up to the shrine. The light grew stronger and stronger by the second, growing to a blinding intensity. The wind knocked her to the ground before she had the chance to stand upright on the final step. Kaede squinted her single good eye through the light, only to widen in abject terror at what she saw.

Masao stood in the centre of the shrine grounds, facing the main shrine house with a bold stance. Like the night that it was created, he held the crystal geode high over his head. However, this scene was devoid of soul collectors flying in an endless vortex around the crystal. Looming high as the heavens above him was a great phantom, a glowing blue dragon, the God of the shrine itself. The Dragon Diety looked similar enough to a giant shinidamachū, with its insect-like eyes, long body, and head framed by a fleshy mane. However there was no mistaking its fanged jaw, massive horns, and sharp talons, as it fought against the draw of the crystal below.

“Masao, stop it!” Kaede shouted in distress.

Drunk on power, Masao didn’t even looked back at Kaede as he stared entranced up at the diety. “There’s so much... Kaede, you can’t imagine the energy!” he shouted over the hurricane winds.

It was like he couldn’t understand her. Kaede dissolved into panic, struggling just to get close against the torrent. “Stop, you can’t do this!”

“I’ll become a God!” Masao laughed, maniacal and crazed.

Kaede shrieked in fear as the Dragon let out a thunderous roar, its body finally sucked into the Godstone against its will. The light from the Godstone only grew brighter. “I made a mistake” she breathed. “I made a mistake! I never should have created the Godstone! Stop this, _please_!”

Masao finally snapped his head back to look at her. His eyes glowed with the same light as the crystal. “Don’t you see I’m doing this for you?!”

Kaede flinched back. The wind grew stronger, the very clouds in the sky beginning to churn with thunder and lightning in a spiral overhead. Masao had absorbed the God of Souls. There could be no stopping him after this, and Kaede felt that realization suck the very breath from her lungs until she felt she might collapse in on herself. She had done this. She had _created_ this. The man standing before her was no longer the sweet young boy who used to play in the river with her. This was a monster grasping at divinity, and no amount of reasoning would turn him back from this. In that moment, while the world raged around her, Kaede felt entirely still. Drawing on all her strength, Kaede rose up to her feet.

“Masao,” she said, her voice cutting through the riptide of wind. “Forgive me.”

Masao’s expression twisted. With the Godstone still raised above his head, he turned fully toward Kaede with a shout on his tongue. He never had the chance to even breathe. Clasping her hands together and folding her fingers in the shape of prayer, Kaede drew on the same power that created the Godstone- she channeled Masao and all of his newfound Godhood into the crystal he held. Feeling the pull drawing him in, Masao screamed, tried to lash out, tried to escape, all to no success. With one resounding cry, his body disappeared into the whirling vortex.

The Godstone dropped to the ground. All went still. Blood trickling down from her nose from overexertion, Kaede dropped down to her knees. The Godstone rolled toward her across the ground, coming to a slow stop as it bumped against her leg. With a trembling hand, Kaede brushed her fingers over the rugged outer layer of the stone. “Well...” she panted. “I supposed you and I aren’t so different after all, Sister...”

Kagome drew back from the scene with a gasp as the face of the young woman grew older, weathered and wrinkled over decades. Too horrified to look away, Kagome didn’t even noticed the change around her until that face was suddenly pale and unmoving. Kaede lay still as dead on her futon on the floor of her hut. In contrast, birds sang in the soft summer daytime outside. The fire in the pit at the centre of the room slowly died down to embers, charred wood and ash collapsing in on itself, and sending embers and smoke up into the air.

The trunk against the far wall of the room began to glow from within. At the moment of the elderly priestess’s death, the seal was released. A young man materialized in blue light, standing over the deceased woman. Masao looked down at her with a blank face, and even still, Kagome could see the raging war of conflicting emotions in his eyes. Betrayal. Anger. Sadness. Love, even. Masao stepped over Kaede’s corpse. Crossing over to the trunk, he lifted the lid and moved a false bottom out of the way. As if grasping the most precious and fragile egg in existence, he pulled the Godstone out, dust falling off the rough exterior from years of isolation. The crystals inside, however, still held their same captivating blue colour. Tucking the Godstone under his arm, Masao made for the door, only to stop short just steps away from freedom. Turning back, Masao set the Godstone down and slowly approached the dead woman. He knelt down at her side, jaw tight as he laid his hand on her shoulder. He said nothing. Sliding his hand down her cold arm and to her hand, Masao plucked the finished quilt from her fingers and rose to his feet.

Masao held the quilt by the corners, and appraised it in the light of the small window. Their entire lives together stretched across every panel, every stitch. “It’s beautiful...” he murmured. “Isn’t it, Kagome?”

Kagome barely held back a scream as Masao slowly turned his head toward her. The hut around them vanished in a burst of light. When it faded, Kagome found herself standing in the ruins of the shrine again, the blue glow that lead her here entirely vanished. She could see only by moonlight. Masao stood just a few feet in front of her, dropping the quilt into one fisted grasp. It took Kagome a moment of shock to realize that she was no longer seeing visions of the past, but rather her own lethal present. She stumbled back from the Warlord, until her back hit a nearby tree. “Masao, I-I...”

“I don’t appreciate thieves, Lady Kagome,” Masao began slowly as he approached her step by step. “Though I do understand your curiosity and... natural sentimentality for Kaede. Besides all that...” his eyes flashed. “Now you know the truth.”

Kagome froze in terror. Behind Masao, the apparition of the young Kaede reappeared. She did not move, barely even held a readable expression. Kagome swallowed past her fear, and found it stuck in her throat. “I... I do,” she breathed.

“Kaede didn’t understand,” Masao spat. “She was too afraid to see the truth, weakened by her connection to that Hanyou. But you, Lady Kagome,” he smiled at her, more like baring his teeth, “You overcame that. You can see the truth. You can see it, you _must_ , _you must_.” Masao held the quilt up high in his clenched fist. He gazed up at it, tilted his head with an almost pitiful frown. “This is more than destiny. I am a _God_. And I will cleanse this land.”

The quilt erupted into flames. Kagome shielded herself from the heat with her sleeve, crying out in fear. When she opened her eyes again, both Masao and Kaede’s spirit had disappeared, leaving behind only a smouldering pile of ashes.


	33. Chapter 33

_A crack of thunder._

_It was the eclipse, and the red cliff, and the fall. Each image, burned into her like a memory, melted into the next. Before Kagome could breathe, she was back on the endless beach, standing at the edge of the water. It lapped up to her ankles and drew back again. The hot wind flowed through her hair, pushing dark strands over her face._

_Further down the beach, the young Priestess walked away from her, looking back over her shoulder just long enough for the breeze to blow her hair back from her face. A long, white strip of cloth had been tied around the young woman’s eye. Her face was so familiar, so much like her own – they could have been sisters._

_Kaede._

_Kagome took one step forward, and then faltered. Her hands were cupped in front of her, holding something she hadn’t noticed before. Looking down at her hands, Kagome found herself cradling a pile of dark ash in her palms, littered with strands of thread and scraps of fabric. The image of a burning quilt flashed through her mind. Before Kagome could make sense of it, a strong gust of solar wind blew the ash from her hands and into the water._

_Kagome looked up again. Kaede had stopped further down the beach, now facing toward the shoreline. Slowly, she lifted her head, a single tear dripping down her cheek. Her eyes were otherwise entirely blank, devoid of expression. As her gaze lifted, so did her arms, outstretched toward the burning moon. Kagome followed her gaze, a strangled gasp dying in her throat._

_A great blue dragon was suspended in the sky overhead. Overturned on its back, it twisted around itself and hung limp. Like it was hanging from a single string, the deity’s body turned slowly in the wind. It’s body itself, though, was translucent, shimmering with faded light. Inside the chest of the dragon was Takeda Masao, suspended in the same position._

_Kaede called out to him. No sound came from her trembling mouth._

_A strike of lightning illuminated the beach. Kagome lifted her arms to cover her face._

When she opened her eyes, she was staring at a canopy of branches and leaves. The Sacred Tree stretched overhead, swaying in the cool morning light. Kagome inhaled, blinked, and let her head drop to the side. Grass tickled her cheek. Slowly pushing herself upright, Kagome looked around her as the events of the night before slowly came back to her. Maybe it had all been a dream. She’d come out here to light a lantern in the middle of the night, and must have fallen asleep with the vain hope that Inuyasha would appear. It all seemed a little silly now. He was probably halfway across Japan with no chance of seeing one little lantern. She’d hardly been in her right mind, in any case, but it had been the only comfort she had.

Kagome stared up at the branches of the tree, before wiping her sleeve over her tired eyes. The others would probably be wondering where she was, and Sango was going to need her help with Miroku so badly injured. She’d have to get back. Kagome dropped her arm and braced her hand on the tree, standing up and looking out to the forest –

A stone pathway, polished and glittering through the leaf-filtered light of the deep forest, stretched beyond the clearing. It was lined with stone lanterns. Through the trees, Kagome could just barely see the bright red pillar of a Torii gate.

Her breath turned to ash in her lungs.

Kagome sprinted down the path, as it wound through the forest, up a steep incline. She knew this place. She didn’t even have to think of which way to turn or where this path would take her, she remembered it, had seen it in dreams of another life and visions of someone else’s. This was an ancient and holy place, the shrine that had stood here the day Kikyo sealed Inuyasha with her arrow. Nearly tripping up a set of towering steps, Kagome climbed to the top. The blood drained from her face. The old shrine had been entirely rebuilt, like it had sprung up from the forest floor overnight. She realized, with some level of horror, how similar it looked to the Higurashi Shrine she grew up in. The mains Shrines stood staggered at the edge of the trees and spilled into a familiar clearing – where a little wooden shed surrounded the Bone-eater’s well.

At the centre of it all, a large statue had been erected – a fearsome dragon, wrapped around the figure of Takeda Masao, as if they were of the same body. At the foot of the statue, a group of villages were kneeling in reverence and prayer. One of them looked over her shoulder in delight when she heard Kagome approached.

“Lady Kagome, look!” she cried. “It’s a miracle! Isn’t it incredible? This Shrine appeared in the forest last night. Lord Masao, he really must be sent to us from the Gods, he-“

“Please,” Kagome urged as she hurried toward them. “Go back to the village.”

The villagers exchanged glances of confusion before looking back to their Priestess. “What? Why?”

“We don’t know anything about this place,” she said, taking each of their hands one by one and guiding them to their feet. “For all we know, it could be a trick, or some kind of trap. It isn’t safe here, please.”

Another villager frowned. “Lady Kagome, you can’t be saying that Lord Masao-“

“I’m not saying anything,” she interrupted. “We just – we must be careful. Praying here could be giving power to a – a trickster of some kind. We just don’t know, and it isn’t safe until we figure this out. Please, go back to the village, and warn everyone not to enter the Forest of Inuyasha.”

Although they looked wary at best, the villagers had no reason not to trust their Priestess. With promises to do as they were told, they headed back the way that Kagome had come, carrying their baskets along with them – they must have been out foraging when they stumbled upon this place. Kagome watched them leave, anxiety burrowing through her bone marrow and making its home there.

This was what Masao wanted. What she’d known before had only been scraps, and now they were all threading themselves together in one intricate design. The animosity toward Buddhists who didn’t revere the Gods, the loathing toward demons who stood in his way, the odd obsession with her and her village, his driving desire to be adored – Kagome saw it all with a stunning clarity. If they praised him as a God, he would only grow stronger.

Behind her, Kagome caught a bare glimpse of a young woman in the same Priestess garb, standing in front of the statue with her head lifted and her arms outstretched. By the time Kagome looked behind her, she was gone.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The attack on the mining village saw the Takeda Army gradually running out of viable weapons. Each time they’d faced the soldiers after, their weapons dissolved from swords and spears to farming tools. They ambushed a caravan carrying food and supplies, and in the next battle, the enemy was weak and barely able to put up a fight. Blocking the main roads put a delay in information travelling between Forts, and the Takeda were left scrambling, unable to call for resources. This was how he thought about it all now.

Inuyasha hated what this war had done to his head. Hated having to distance himself, to think strategically, to cooperate with his allies. Maybe it meant that he was growing, but – it all felt so cold and diplomatic and not him. It had crossed his mind that years ago, this was what he wanted in a way. He’d wanted to be a Great Demon like his father. He wanted power, wanted to conquer, wanted people to shut up and take notice when he spoke. He realized now that this wasn’t at all what he thought it would be. All that desire for power, and he’d never thought about having a reason to fight. You fight because you just want to go home. This wasn’t what he wanted.

At least he had one thing he’d always wanted. No one dared call him “just a Hanyou” when he was the only thing standing between them and the devastating power of the Godstone.

“Our next move should be on the seaside ports,” A Tengu General grunted as he moved a redwood piece across the map laid out on the ground. The generals and leaders of the allied demons all sat around the map in the largest cavern of the Wolf Demon Tribe’s cave territory. The cave was dark, the stone damp, but fires had been lit all around them, from the cave floor to the alcoves embedded in the walls, climbing up the sides. It vaguely reminded Inuyasha of Kagome’s village, in her era, with the hundreds of flickering lights rising up around them. The rest of the allied demons were spread out inside the cave, or camped out on the side of the mountain. Now that spring was warming into summer, the mountainside was covered in lush greenery and war camps. It was a brief stop to rest and resupply before they headed out again.

A Bear demon scoffed at the Crow’s suggestion. “The ports are useless to us,” he protested in a deep, rumbling voice. “We should be focusing all our efforts on taking the agricultural villages around Seichi Castle to starve them out.”

The Crow demon turned a sharp glare to his opposition. “Taking the ports will cut Takeda off from the Merchant Foreigners’ ships and cut off his ability to send reinforcements along the coast. It is a vital point of attack.”

Across the circle of gathered leaders, the leader of the Hebi spoke up, looking across at Inuyasha. “What do you think?”

Inuyasha had to glance to both sides at his brother and Koga to make sure the Hebi was actually talking to him. “What do I think?” he repeated.

“Yes,” A Boar demon nodded from beside the Snake. “You know the enemy better than any of us, and only you have power over the Godstone. What course of action do you think we should take?”

“I think,” Inuyasha spat through gritted teeth as he rose to his feet, “that this is all a giant fucking waste of time.”

The Tengu Princess’ eyes narrow from where she sat beside her General. Inuyasha didn’t even have to look down to know that Koga and Sesshomaru were glaring at him with the same, if not stronger, anger. “We mustn’t be rash about this.”

“Listen,” Inuyasha growled, feeling himself almost bristle when the gathered demons actually did. He’d never get used to it. “We’ve been beating around the bush, attacking small outposts, and raiding their fortresses for months and we’re no closer to taking down Masao than we were in the dead of winter when they were slaughtering us. None of this will end until we go after him.”

“We will go after Masao,” The Bear demon growled. “But we must wait for the right moment.”

“And if we wait for the right moment, it’ll never come,” Inuyasha growled right back. He huffed as the standoff ended in a tense silence surrounding the leaders, all attention focused on him. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, turning sharply on his heel and stalking away from the gathering. “Whatever,” he grunted. “Do what you want. Just tell me when we’re moving out.”

He didn’t look back as he walked through the tunnels, navigating through the caves with a familiar ease. It wasn’t all that difficult to find his way to the opening anyway – as he got closer, the sound of crickets and the scent of fresh mountain air guided him. Finally emerging from the mouth of the cave, Inuyasha took in a deep breath, stretched his arms over his head, and leaned against the wall of rock.

Down the slope of the mountain, hundreds of fires had been lit for the demon warriors, and beyond them, the mountain range continued on, jutting up from the earth like great, sleeping behemoths. And beyond even them, far past what Inuyasha could see, he knew those mountains rolled into hills, valleys, and rivers – and Kagome’s village. Inuyasha breathed in slowly, letting the clean air fill his chest and clear his mind. He’d been more than a little uneasy lately. Restless. It was starting to get to him. Maybe he could find Shippo and help the kid train a bit – the fox was always bugging him about sparring, swearing that he was going to get a point on him one of these days. Inuyasha pushed off the wall with the intention to find the kitsune boy.

He didn’t get more than a few steps from the cave wall. His ears twitched behind him at the sound of hurried footfall. He frowned, turning just as a voice called out to him.

“Inuyasha!” Master Kenta of the Fox Demon Monestary shouted to him as he ran the up mountain slope and to the mouth of the cave.

Inuyasha’s eyes blew wide, leaping through the air to close the final distance between them. He hadn’t heard from or seen the man since autumn, and though they had parted with mutual respect, Inuyasha hardly expected him to pay a visit in the middle of a war. The Fox Demons were hardly in any state to offer their assistance in the fight against Masao. A thousand questions surrounded his appearance, and none of them were settling. “Kenta,” Inuyasha said as he landed in front of the weary Kitsune. “What are you doing here? What ha-”

“Inuyasha,” Kenta interrupted, struggling to catch his breath. “I travelled for days to get to you, I came as soon as we saw it-“

“Well, what the hell is it?” Inuyasha pushed. “Spit it out already!”

Kenta turned up an exhausted glare at the half-demon, but Inuyasha paid it no mind. He could hardly expected to reign in his impatience when the fox had come to him so urgently. Kenta shook his head and stood upright, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Two nights ago, at the new Monastery in the hillside south of the mountains, we saw a single light rising above the forest. Only moments after, there was a brilliant flash of blue light, and the apparition of the God of Souls appeared. This God hasn’t been seen in decades. Shippo once told us about the village he and his friends lived in, and we believe this occurred near that same village.”

Inuyasha physically felt the blood drain from his face, pulled toward his gut and solidifying there with a dreadful weight. “What…?”

Kenta reached out, laying his hand heavy on Inuyasha’s shoulder. “Something is happening. I don’t know what, but I left as soon as I could to tell you. Your love is still in that village, yes?”

Inuyasha didn’t even have it in him to answer. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he turned to the cave. “Shippo!” he bellowed out as he looked back to Kenta. “Thank you.”

“It isn’t much to repair the debt the Kitsune owe to you, but it is the least I could do,” Kenta replied.

It was only moments before Shippo was running around the bend of one of the cave tunnels, stuttering to a pause when he saw his old teach standing next to his friend. Shippo practically scampered the rest of the way, skidding to a stop next to him. “Master Kenta? What’s going on?” he asked.

“Shippo,” Inuyasha grunted as he knelt down to meet the boy at eye level. “Something happened back in the village. I’m going to find out what happened. Stay here, you got that?”

Shippo only frowned. “But if Kagome’s in danger, then-”

Inuyasha grabbed him by the shoulders, his grasp tight and unyielding. “Shippo,” he snapped. “Stay. Here.” Without giving the boy the chance to argue, Inuyasha rose to his feet and stepped toward the mouth of the cave, squaring off toward the wilderness below. He didn’t take off just yet though, all too aware of the demons emerging through the darkness of the caverns. Eyes glowed through the dark, flickers of fire coming to life along the walls as torches were lit. Even then, it wasn’t enough to completely illuminating the oversaturated darkness. Inuyasha’s fists clenched at his sides as he slowly turn to face them.

“Where are you going?” The Tengu Princess asked accusingly.

Inuyasha answered with a tight jaw. “Home. Kagome is in danger.”

A murmur rippled through the cave from every crevice, floor to ceiling, as the hoard listened in. Scarce few, even in the Wolf Clan, had ever met the women, but everyone there had heard of the Inu Hanyou’s Priestess. The significance of that statement didn’t go unnoticed.

“Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru was the one to step forward, fearlessly looking down on his brother with a firm scowl. "Do not be foolish. This could very well be a trap meant to lure you back.”

Inuyasha scowled back at him, standing his ground. “I don’t care. I’m going.”

From Sesshomaru’s left, Koga was the next to try to reason with the half-demon. “Listen,” he ground out, “I don’t like the idea of Kagome being in danger any more than you do-“ he cut off when Inuyasha emitted a warning growl, suggesting that he loathed the idea much more than Koga could understand. Koga sighed. “But he’s right. And if you’re discovered, everything we’ve been working toward will have been for nothing. We need you here.”

“I said I’m going. Any one of you is welcome to try to fucking stop me,” Inuyasha countered with a low and dangerous rumble to his voice.

Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed. “Brother-“

That was all it took to challenge him. Inuyasha’s foot slipped back, widening his stance as he flexed his claws and bared his teeth in a wild growl. The Godstone hanging from his neck burst with a flash of crimson light, and behind him, the apparition of a White Dog snarled and snapped its teeth, hackles raised. Sesshomaru reacted, eyes flashing red and teeth elongating, an invisible wind ripping through the cave. The air crackled with intense energy. Even the most fearsome among the gathered demons shrunk back from the brothers’ stand-off. Everyone expected them to trade blows at any moment.

One voice cut through the tension with a scalpel’s precision. “Rin is there,” Shippo spoke up from beside Master Kenta, who’d instinctively put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and tried to push him behind him. Shippo, though, stepped around him, emboldened even through his fear of a possible brawl.

Just like that, the wind died. The violent energy dissipated. Sesshomaru’s eyes returned to their glimmering gold. He stood straight, appraising Inuyasha one more time before turning sharply and walking through the crowd as they parted for him. “Do what you must.”

With the challenge gone, the apparition faded with the glow of the crystal, and Inuyasha came to his senses again. He didn’t say anything more to his brother, or any other demon there. Turning back toward the gaping mouth of the Cave, he began to walk out.

The leader of the Bear Clan called out to him in one last attempt to get him to stay. “You would forsake this entire war for one mortal woman?”

Inuyasha didn’t hesitate. “I started this entire war for her.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

“Captain!” The soldier gave no other warning before he banged his fists on the door of Yorino’s quarters.

The Captain himself dropped his ink brush with a clatter over the report he’d been writing, the scroll hopelessly stained. Yorino set his teeth on edge before answering. “What?”

The Shoji door slid back to reveal the young soldier cowering on the ground, head pressed to the floor in a low bow. “M-My apologies for disturbing you, Sir,” he stammered as he finally looked up in fear. The Captain had been – on edge recently, hardly even coming out of his rooms and demanding to be left alone. Only the most important news or messages could get through his door.

Yorino spoke without fully opening his mouth, shrouded in the dark corner of his room. There was only one small oil lamp in the opposite corner, barely enough light to illuminate the space. “Out with it,” he hissed.

“I- yes, sir,” the soldier nodded. “Another flying lantern has been spotted rising above the forest. Y-you ordered us to inform you immediately if a lantern was set off again, so-“

“I am very well aware of what I ordered,” Yorino snapped as he jumped to his feet. The small table he’d been working at overturned, spilling the ink into an oozing black puddle on the floor. Heedless, he crossed the room, finally stepping into the light. It took every bit of will power the soldier had no to flinch back at the sight of the Captain. His irises had become narrow slits, and the scales that no one dared to point out on his hand had crawled up his arm and neck, covering his once-human skin. “Show me,” Yorino ordered, and as he spoke, finally opened his mouth to reveal a forked tongue.

The soldier couldn’t find the courage to speak. With a hasty nod, he scrambled up and lead the way to the rampart surrounding the Fortress. On top of the Northwestern watchtower, a group of soldiers stood watching the sky. As Yorino was lead up the tower, the first glimpse of the Lantern became visible. It was still relatively low over the forest, rising up from some indiscernible point and drifting lazily over the treetops. It was barely night yet, the sun still a golden disk sinking low between the distant mountain peaks. Dusk was approaching, but the sky still held onto its pale blue hue.

Yorino shoved the other soldiers out of the way to get to the edge, watching the lantern float aimlessly. He’d long since realized that Masao would not listen to reason, and as he had, his once unending respect for him had waned. Masao was a madman, manic in his pursuits and convictions – but he was too powerful to confront. If Yorino wanted to stay within his good graces, he needed proof of his own suspicions. This was his opportune moment. “Prepare a squad to come with me into the forest,” he ordered the men around him as he pushed his way back toward the ladder.

“What about the lantern, Captain?” one soldier asked.

“Shoot it down.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kagome lost sight of the lantern when she dashed into the forest. The coming darkness and the thick foliage overhead blocked it from her view – it hardly mattered. She knew what it meant.

She’d hardly left her hut this past week. Overcome with paranoia and anxiety, Kagome had locked herself away, going outside only to tend to her duties and check on Miroku. Even then, she was skittish, constantly looking over her shoulder, glancing up toward the fort on the mountain and out toward the forest. Her friends noticed. Even several villagers had asked the Priestess if she was alright, only to be brushed off with a forced smile. The rest of the village was flooded with talk of the mysterious shrine that had appeared in the forest, curiosity beckoning them to go see for themselves, but respect for their Priestess just barely keeping them at bay.

Kagome barely slept, hardly ate, didn’t say more than a few words to even Takuya about what had happened in the forest the night she’d fallen asleep out there. It was agonizing. Hours were spent inside the sanctuary of her hut, tending to the fire, and staring blankly into the flames like they were drawing the soul out of her.

So, when she’d peered out her window to see the lantern flying high over the sea of distant trees, it was the only thing that could pull her out of her safe haven. She’d only spared a quick explanation to a startled Rin before she sprinted out into the dying daylight. Exhaustion gave away to adrenaline as she raced across the rice fields, heart burning a hole through her chest. Excitement didn’t even cover it. It was the first time she felt even on the verge of peace in days, and she chased that calmness with everything she head.

Only when the underbrush became too thick for her to keep running did she finally slow down. Inuyasha would spend the entire night chewing her out if she tripped and hurt herself in her haste to get to him. The nights were short now, and they only had a limited amount of time together before the sun rose. She wasn’t about to waste half of it arguing with the overprotective hanyou. It crossed her mind as she navigated the forest that she should have brought one of the dogs with her – Inuyasha was furious the last time she forgot, and it did make walking through the labyrinth of roots and foliage easier with Jun or Kei leading the way, but she’d been too eager to think. Inuyasha would just have to deal.

Thankfully, the forest was easier to traverse by the river bank. Kagome blinked as she stepped through the trees and into the open gap over the river, guided by the sound of rushing water. The moonlight was brighter here with nothing to block it. The moon’s reflection danced and rippled along the smooth flow of the water. Kagome walked along the bank as it turned and twisted through the woods. She’d been just about to break off toward the well-worn path to the Sacred Tree when she noticed something floating in the stream.

The tattered remnants of the lantern she’d seen in the sky drifted in the current. Water soaked into the paper and the frame, slowly dragging it down as it grew heavier and heavier. Kagome watched the lantern drown, unable to piece why it felt so familiar. She could just barely see singe marks on the paper before it floated past her. Surely an unfortunate gust of wind made the flame inside catch on the lantern, and it fell. That was all. Kagome turned away from the river with the bone-deep anxiety gnawing on her marrow. It was only as she walked into the dark of the forest once again that she heard the haunting refrain of a familiar tune.

_Flickering Lanterns, carried down the stream  
_ _Things are not always as they seem  
_ _Flickering Lanterns, broken at the seem  
_ _Heed the warning, drowning in the stream_

Kagome stopped and looked around her, heart burning a hole through her chest as she searched for Kaede’s spirit. She never appeared. The forest was empty. Kagome shook her head and pressed on, even as the last haunting notes reverberated through her body. That lingering unease didn’t last long, in any case. As she pushed through the bushes into the clearing, Inuyasha was there, pacing at the foot of the Sacred Tree. The moment he heard her, his ears twitched and his head snapped up. Within a blink, he was in front of her, pulling her into his arms. His hold was tight, desperate almost, and shaking with relief.

“You’re okay,” he breathed with a shuddering sigh as he pressed his face into her hair. “I got word of the lantern you set off, I thought-“

“It’s alright,” Kagome reassured him, arms threading up and around his shoulders. “I mean, it’s- I’ll explain. It’s just… a lot,” she confessed. Pulling her head back, she cupped his cheek, thumb caressing across his temple as she smiled, real and genuine for the first time in days. “You’re here now, that’s all that matters.”

Inuyasha looked for a moment like he might want to argue that, but Kagome never gave him the chance. Hand threading through his hair and to the back of his head, she pulled him in for a tender kiss. The rhythm was slow, natural as breathing. Really, it had only been a week since they’d seen each other. Inuyasha had just left the morning before Miroku was flogged in the village, but so much had happened in that time, it could have been months. Inuyasha gave in, sliding his hands down to settle on her waist. When Kagome parted, her lips were pink and slightly swollen, but her smile was still there. Inuyasha may have come here in a hurry, but that didn’t mean he had to leave in one.

They went back to the river. Took their time. The night was oppressive and dark, and a bit of light and open space would do them both some good. As they walked, Kagome explained the visions of Kaede’s past, that she’d created the Godstone in her own desperation to protect herself from the demons her sister had fought all her life and ultimately succumbed to. She described the reemergence of the old shrine, her encounter with Masao, something she still wasn’t entirely sure had been real or a dream. Finally, after avoiding it, she explained why she had come into the forest and set off that lantern a week ago in the first place – the incident in the village, and Miroku’s flogging.

“Fuck,” Inuyasha cursed as they pushed through the treeline and walked out onto the river bank. “Is he okay?” It took a lot in him to not run up to the fortress and tear the place apart beam by beam for _daring_ to hurt his friend. The anger seeped into his voice as he glared up at the fire-lit peak of the mountain. He just kept having to remind himself that they would get what was coming to them – and soon, if he had any say in it. Miroku was more a brother to him than Sesshomaru had ever been.

Kagome nodded. “He’s been doing better through-out the week. He reassures Rin and I that he’s fine when we go to check in on him, but he’s still in pain. He can’t lie on his back, and he can barely stand and carry his own children. He’s still weak, in agony, and yet he’s suffered through it all with a smile – it’s hard,” she confessed as she stared down at the current. The song drifted through her memory again. She pushed it away. “Rin’s been taking it hard. I’m not sure if she’ll ever forgive herself for what happened, no matter what I say.”

“She couldn’t have known,” Inuyasha nodded as he lowered himself down onto a rock jutting out over the water. Dangling his legs over the edge, he let his feet dip into the water. Kagome copied him, slipping off her sandals in favour of letting the water run over her feet. She leaned against Inuyasha’s side, relaxing into him as he slipped his arm around her waist to hold her closer. The silence that drifted between them was easy and comfortable. Just breathing in the same space, soaking in simple contact and touch, was enough. Inuyasha was the first to speak again. “So,” he said with a sorry attempt at a laugh. “Kaede wanted me dead that badly huh?”

Kagome immediately turned a glare up at him. “Oh no, I know where this is going,” she shut him down, shifting in his hold to look up at him head on. “It’s not your fault that Kaede created the Godstone. It had nothing to do with you. She was angry, and afraid, and she had no idea of what Onigumo had become – what Naraku had done.” Sliding one arm around Inuyasha’s shoulder, Kagome reached up to cradle her other hand against his jaw, holding his gaze steady. “I know you. I know what you’re thinking. You can’t take the weight of every burden that crosses your path, Inuyasha. _No one_ is that strong. No one should have to be.”

Inuyasha’s shoulders drooped. “Yeah… yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“What do you mean ‘you guess’, huh?” Kagome reached up to tweak his ear. “I’m _always_ right, and you know it.”

“Hey, cut it out!” Inuyasha protested as he flicked his ear free from her torment. When Kagome only stuck her tongue out in response, Inuyasha grinned. Kagome took one look at the mischievous glint in his eyes and knew she was in trouble – too bad she couldn’t do anything about it before the hanyou was shoving her off the rock and into the water.

It was only about waist deep there, but still, Kagome sputtered as she came up, pushing her long raven lock out of her eyes. She glared up at Inuyasha and took a swipe at his feet in an attempt to drag him down with her. Inuyasha flipped backwards out of her reach at the last moment, cackling as she lost her balance and went falling into the water again. “Inuyasha!” she shouted after him.

“Gonna have to do better than that, Kagome!” Inuyasha hollered back as he leapt straight over her head and onto a rock in the middle of the river. The boulders here were massive, large enough to lay down on, and smoothed by centuries of flowing water. Kagome swam to the nearest boulder, hooking her arms onto it and climbing up. Her attempt at a death-glare was severely dampened by the fact that she was so soaked. Inuyasha found it a lot funnier than she did.

Kagome hauled herself up, pointing an accusing finger at the half demon. “You are the worst!”

Inuyasha only shrugged and hopped to the next boulder, just a little further out of her reach. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Kagome absolutely _loathed_ the fact that she laughed. She quickly tried to mask it with a playful shout as she jumped onto the nearest rock. “Get back here!”

“Catch me first!” Inuyasha fired back.

Every time she jumped onto one rock, Inuyasha would deftly evade her onto the next, jumping over her, back and forth, leading her on a reverse cat-and-mouse chase just to keep up that glorious laughter. It was _fun_ , and that was it. Days of fear and anxiety washed down the river. Kagome lunged after him, and Inuyasha stayed in place just long enough for her fingers to graze the sleeve of his robe, just long enough to taste victory, before jumping further down-stream. To be fair- he did start it, but hell, he wasn’t perfect.

She was, though. Inuyasha has always felt it, but he saw it then in startling clarity. He’d always been ready to tear apart Japan for her. He’d just spent so long feeling this love that he rarely slowed down to think why. It was all he’d done back when they had been separated by the Bone-eater’s well. He’d spent hours thinking about how every flaw of hers matched his, how she smiled even when she was breaking apart, how he’d never met another living being as fiercely kind as her. Back then, there had been nothing in their way but time and space, no enemy that he could slay to solve all their problems. He wanted that again – but he wanted it with her.

Kagome slipped as she tried to jump onto another boulder. Inuyasha was there before she could fall, sweeping her up and spinning her around just because she was _there_ and he _could_. Kagome threw her arms around him, laughing brilliantly, and refused to let go. She shook her head at him, claiming his lips with her own still smiling against him. Inuyasha chuckled into it as he held her tight, slowly letting her slip down onto her feet. The kiss softened, tender as they caught their breaths. Kagome pulled back with the moon shining in her eyes.

Inuyasha’s ear twitched toward the forest.

 _Click_.

“ _Get down!_ ” he roared. There was no time to think. No time to breathe. Inuyasha dragged them both down onto the smooth, flat surface of the boulder, shielding Kagome with his body, as a hail of lead bullets sprayed where they had been standing. The explosions came after, 20 guns firing in near perfect unison. The smoke gaze away their position on the other side of the river back. They emerged through the trees – Takeda Soldiers, standing in perfect rank and fire as they reloaded their guns.

Standing at their side in Command, reptilian eyes flashing in darkness, Yorino pointed at them with a hungry grin splitting his pallid face. Inuyasha and Kagome looked to each other as if the moon was crashing down toward them. This was it. They’d been caught. They didn’t know how, or why, what they’d done wrong, or if this was inevitable, but there was no time, _no time, no time, no time_ to think about it.

“Rear rank! Fire!’ Yorino bellowed.

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome, moving with inhuman speed. He pushed off the ground, narrowly jumping out of the way of another barrage of lead. The bullets crashed into the water, or embedded themselves into the boulder where they’d been seconds before – Inuyasha didn’t look back. With Kagome tight in his arms, he leapt from boulder to boulder, trying to get as far down the street as possible. Behind him, could hear Yorino’s command to go after them, and the explosions of muskets as the soldiers tried to take aim. He could take them down. He was strong enough, he could do it without batting an eye- but he couldn’t do it without putting Kagome in danger. Even he wasn’t faster than a bullet.

Kagome held onto Inuyasha for dear life, panic overtaking every sense. A mantra of “ _no, no, no, no, no,_ ” spilled from her lips. With every burst of gunfire, she anticipated a hit, feeling her stomach twist and writhe like she’d been filled with lead from the start. She could just barely hear Inuyasha’s voice above her, telling her it was going to be okay, that he was going to get her out of this, that he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her – but it was no use now. They’d been caught. _They’d been caught_. A year of this, and it was all for _nothing_. Kagome buried her face against Inuyasha’s neck, struggling just to breathe with the force of the wind whipping around them and the strength of her own panic. She choked on a gasp as Inuyasha suddenly came to a whiplash-halt.

They’d made it to the end of the river, where the waterfall poured down into the churning basin below. Kagome barely had time to register that this was the cave she and Inuyasha spent that long winter night in months ago before Inuyasha was setting her down on her feet. He held her by the shoulders, his gaze desperate.

“You trust me.” It wasn’t so much a question as a plea, an acknowledgement that he knew she did, but he needed her to pull on that trust right now.

Kagome knew that whatever followed, she wasn’t going to like it. He had a plan. She nodded, struggling to find her voice as her eyes darted between him and the line of soldiers advancing on them from the river bank. “I- yes, of course, but-“

Inuyasha moved quickly. He pulled something free off her neck, pressed it into her palm, and kissed her hard before she could question him. Kagome tried to kiss back, a noise of fear drowned by his lips as she heard the cocking of muskets.

Inuyasha pulled away. His gaze was intense, filled with dread and resolved to do this anyway. The gold of his irises were brighter than she’d ever seen them, and Kagome knew in that moment alone that this image would be scarred into her memory forever. “I love you,” he said, and he threw her off the waterfall.

_Kagome saw it in slow motion. Inuyasha turned his back on her, ready to face his enemy head-on. Gunfire rattled through the air like thunder. All she saw was the flash of fire, and Inuyasha taking the brunt of a dozen bullets in a spray of blood – and all the while she was falling._

Kagome hit the water before she could scream.


	34. Chapter 34

Kagome hit the water before she could scream.

But there was, in that moment of suspension between the height of the waterfall and the tempestuous river below, the feeling that the world was slowing down. Gravity paused, just for that moment, and time came to a crawl. Kagome watched in stunning, horrific clarity, as Inuyasha’s frame shook with the force from the hail of bullets. She watched as the blood sprayed. She watched as his figure slumped onto the boulder at the apex of the waterfall. The moon eclipsed his head in a silver halo, and Kagome watched, all in one eternity of a second as the waterfall rose higher and higher above her. It was an image that resonated in the deepest recesses of her being, haunted her soul since the beginning of it.

After all, Kagome was very familiar with falling.

She hit the water. Quicker than a gasp. It was not a soft landing. The water was unforgiving, the surface breaking her fall like stone and dragging her under in a wild torrent. She was pulled apart in every direction, turned backwards and over until she didn’t know where the surface was anymore, and there was so much pressure whipping her about that she couldn’t claw her way out if she tried. Acrid water stung in her eyes, burned her nose, and filled her lungs, forcing out what little air she had. Finally, just as the darkness grew wider and threatened to overtake her, her body was thrown against something solid. Rock smashed into her side. Rather than try to push away from the grating pain, Kagome grabbed onto it, the tips of her fingers scraping desperately at the stone. She hauled herself up with one arm, finally breaching the rapid basin of the waterfall.

Kagome coughed and hacked as she collapsed on the cold, damp ground. Water spilled from her mouth, tearing her throat raw. Her desperate heaving for breath echoed around her, ricocheting back from a thousand different directions. When the darkness finally receded from the edges of her consciousness, Kagome opened her eyes. She’d come up from behind the waterfall, into the same cavern where she’d spent that long winter night with Inuyasha. The remnants of their fire from that night were still there, burnt into a pile of charcoal in the centre of the cave. Near the back, steam still rolled gracefully off the hot spring sunken into the stone, lifting toward the hole in the ceiling. Grass and vines tangled their way down, nearly covering the opening in the forest floor above.

Over the roar of the waterfall, Kagome could just barely hear the voices of men shouting orders and replies to each other, a great pounding of footsteps passing overhead. Laying exhausted on the cave floor, barely conscious, Kagome stared up through the gap at the silent, glowing moon. A passing Samurai nearly fell through the hole, his foot slipping in the wet grass. He recovered and looked down. In the darkness below, Kagome held her breath and tried to shrink back, but barely had the energy to move. As he stared down through the hole, the reflection of the moonlight on the water glared enough that anything beyond it was shrouded in total darkness. Still, Kagome froze, too afraid to breathe until the soldier finally looked away and called a warning to his comrades to mind the pit. His companions sounded their understanding, and soon after followed. Kagome watched in abject horror as they passed around the hole, carrying Inuyasha’s bloodied body between them. It was only a passing glimpse, she couldn’t even see his face, but she could see clearly the way his feet dragged along the forest floor, blood dripping down from his hakama, body sagging and unable to hold up its own weight.

The sounds of the soldiers retreated. In the distance, loud booms echoed, and Kagome could not discern if it was gunfire or thunder. Soon, only the far-off rumbling and the steady flow of the waterfall was left. Kagome was alone in the dark, with only a sliver of that indifferent moonlight shinning in from the gap above, and glimmering off the water. Even still, the world seemed to be growing darker by the second, and while she’d tried to hold it off for as long as she could, exhaustion and shock seeping deep into her weary bones. Kagome went lax against the cave floor, laying her cheek down against the rough ground. It was then, for the first time, that she realized she was still holding something tightly in her palm. Her left hand was still outstretched, her fingers raw and bloodied from climbing out of the water, but her right was clutched close to her chest.

She drew her hand out and slowly unfurled her fingers. Inuyasha’s Godstone sat unscathed in her palm, glowing a faint, warm red. The darkness won over, and Kagome felt her heavy eyes draw closed, overcome with the feeling of falling deeper into the empty dark.

_A crack of thunder._

_When the lightning followed and faded, and the blinding white light vanished, Kagome’s arms were shielding her face. She did not have to look to know where she was. Vivid as a walking memory, she felt the tide lapping at her ankles in the coarse sand, and the hot wind ghosting over her skin, flowing through her hair. Kagome slowly lowered her arms. There was no fear when she found herself standing on the red beach once again. There was dread, a cold burning in her gut that spoke more of a haunting than fear. Kagome exhaled slowly. This place was familiar to her now. A year’s worth of dreams had left her strangely at home in this ethereal realm._

_Further down the beach, Kaede lowered her arms from their stretch toward the blue dragon suspended underneath the burning moon. Still, her gaze was fixated on the spectre, and the body of the human man floating inside its chest. She held her head up, chin proud, as she watched the dragon and the man turn slowly in mid-air._

_With a cautious step, Kagome began to walk toward her. Her bare feet left fleeting imprints in the sand, washed away by each gentle lap of the water. One step too close was all it took, and Kaede’s gaze suddenly snapped down to meet hers. Kagome froze. Though her single visible eye was intense, there was no anger or malice. That intensity faded into tenderness, shining with an almost sad glimmer. No tears fell. Captivated by the strength of her gaze, Kagome was unable to move. She could only watch as Kaede slowly turned her head out toward the water._

Flickering lanterns, hanging from the Tree  
Let them guide your way back to me  
Flickering lanterns, call you back to me  
On the branches of the Sacred Tree

_The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, carried on the wind and swirling around her. Kagome followed Kaede’s gaze into the water. Kaede’s reflection was smooth as it danced over the rising and falling tide, but Kagome’s shivered and rippled as if a stone had been dropped into the dark water. As it stilled, Kikyo once again stared back at her from the waves, taking her place beside her sister. Kikyo’s mouth did not move. Neither did Kaede’s. Still, their voices were a chorus, multiplying into dozens. Both sisters’ reflections turned their heads further down the beach. Beside Kagome, Kaede had not moved. Kagome looked to her, before following the spectres focus down the shoreline._

_All the while, the disembodied voices continued to sing the haunting melody, the lyrics lost and unintelligible, only seldom clearing into words._

Flickering Lanterns, floating in the sky  
Though we may part, this is not goodbye  
Flickering Lanterns, tell me not goodbye  
Till we meet again, our promise in the sky

_Two young girls were playing at the edge of the water. One, older, more regal in her movements, held the younger girl’s hand as she stooped down to excitedly pick up a small stone from the sand. As the young girl picked up the stone, the crimson sunlight glinted off its surface, and remarkably glowed a faint blue. The young girl showed the glimmering stone to her elder, who plucked it from her hand with a smile and turned it over carefully, holding it up to the faint light, before passing it back. The young girl took the stone again, letting go of her sister’s hand as she walked to the edge of the water._

_For a moment, Kagome wasn’t sure what the little girl was going to do. The two girls looked so like one another, long, silky black hair flowing over their shoulders - familiar, almost, but Kagome found that for some reason she couldn’t quite place them, like a shroud had been cast over her memory. They were both wearing ordinary peasant’s yukata, with simple colours and patterns of bell flowers and maple leaves. The younger girl at the water’s edge turned the stone over in her palm, before finally rearing her arm back and casting the stone far into the ocean. The moment it hit the water, the great blue dragon in the sky twisted and let out a great roar, its blue glow intensifying._

_The little girl did not care in the slightest. Did not even seem to notice. She turned back to the elder girl with a gleeful smile and threw her hands down into the water, splashing her. The elder sister tried to shield herself from the spray, scolding the younger in indignation - but when the younger girl just laughed and splashed her again, the elder gave in with a smile and chased after her, running into the water to join the game._

Flickering Lanterns, carried down the stream  
Things are not always as they seem  
Flickering Lanterns, broken at the seam  
Heed the warning, drowning in the stream

_A solar flare. The girls disappeared in a flash of golden firelight. Kagome frowned, looking back to Kaede beside her. When she looked again, Kaede was an old woman, shorter in stature and aged to the last day Kagome had ever seen her. She watched the dark ocean and the eclipsed sun with a proud stare. Still, her reflection in the water was that of a young priestess, standing beside her sister at about the same age. Through the reflection, a figure in red slowly materialized behind Kikyo. Inuyasha stepped forward, slipping an arm around her waist - and in that same moment, Kagome felt that same, strong arm encircle hers as well. She watched as Inuyasha brushed his lips over Kikyo’s neck, up to her ear, whispering something unintelligible, and again, Kagome felt it as if it were happening to her. But when she whipped around to look for Inuyasha, he wasn’t there._

_Up at the summit of the red cliff, she heard Inuyasha screaming her name. The raw fear in his voice rippled through the air. A crack of thunder shot off, and Kagome found her arms instinctively wrapping around her abdomen as the sound reverberated through her. The silhouettes were distant and distorted by the churning black clouds and the blood red sky, but still she watched her clearly as she fell from the cliff and Inuyasha jumped after her. Kagome blinked, and they both vanished before they hit the ground._

_It was becoming more and more difficult to keep up, to catch her breath. Kagome looked back to Kaede, desperate for some kind of answer, but as she turned around again, the woman once more took the form of a young priestess. With her back to her, Kaede began to walk into the water. She walked gracefully, purposefully. The water rose up above her thighs, her waist, up to her chest, and all the while Kaede never faultered as she sank into the tide. Kagome watched in horror as her head of dark hair disappeared below of the surface._

_With a muted shout on her lips, sound swallowed by the vortex of the black sun, Kagome raced after Kaede, trying to call her back. But, as she ran toward the surf, the tide receded further and further away from her until finally, like a tsunami rising from the ocean, a giant wave slammed into her and dragged her into the water. The melody continued in a chorus of young women’s voices, louder and louder as Kagome was ripped apart by the water._

_In one beat, it all went still. Kagome felt oddly like she was floating, weightless as she found herself staring down into her reflection like nothing had ever happened. And it was her reflection she was staring at this time, her own face. She was staring back at Kagome._

_But... it was as that thought crossed her mind, that slight slip, that she realized... she was staring at Kagome. And Kagome was looking back at her, eyes full of fear and dread and hope - in this moment, those eyes were not her own._

_As Kikyo, she stared up at Kagome from the reflection in the water. She was the reflection. She could no longer tell where she ended and Kagome began. In the water, she could feel a hundred other eyes staring up at this young woman, a hundred souls over a hundred lifetimes, some past and some unborn. It was through Kikyo that they all saw her. Kikyo watched as Kagome stood on the beach, under the majesty of the blood red cliffs, the black sun and burning moon, and the blue dragon twisting slowly in the air above the water._

_She really was a beautiful young woman. Her features were softer, her kindness without burden and her emotions without restraint. The hardships she’d endured had tried her spirit without managing to break it. Kagome tilted her head slightly as she stared down through the water. A wisp of crimson light reflected off the water and onto Kagome’s abdomen as another burst of thunder rolled overhead. Kikyo wished for nothing more than to be able to reach out and warn Kagome of her fate - only to realize that she already had. That little song she’d made up as a young girl, without ever thinking much of it, had been as real a warning to her future life as any premonition. Kagome understood that. In that moment, they both understood who they were - and, in that, how this would end._

_Inuyasha screamed from the height of the cliff. Their shared soul resonated with his agonized voice. Kikyo lifted her hand toward the surface of the water, as Kagome reached down toward her. Their fingertips grazed with a ripple. The waves reared back, dragging Kikyo back with a violent lurch, and crashed onto the beach._

Flickering Lanterns, falling from the sky  
Never have I felt such a painful goodbye  
Flickering lanterns, saying goodbye  
One will be slain, though both will die

_Kagome coughed up saltwater as the ocean threw her back onto the shore. She spat into the sand, her chest and throat burning. Her hair dripped down over her face. Kagome pushed herself up on her forearms, slowly recovering as she sat up._

_She was alone on the beach._

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

Rin had thought nothing of it when Kagome rushed out of the hut that evening, chasing after the lantern rising above the distant sea of forest. She'd hardly been paying attention until Kagome began hurriedly pulling on her socks and sandals, barely waiting to tell her that Inuyasha had come back and she was going to see him. Rin really had thought nothing of it. This had happened a dozen times before. If anything, she was a little relieved. Kagome had been tense since the Shrine had appeared in the forest the week before. She’d been paranoid, hardly speaking and constantly peering out of the hut for signs of danger. Surely, Kagome would feel a little better after spending a night with Inuyasha. So, she’d said her quick goodbye, unsure if Kagome had even heard before she ran out the door. With the hut to herself for the evening, Rin sat down and got to work on a new medicinal salve Takuya had been teaching her to make. Jun and Kei made themselves comfortable on either side of her by the fire.

Only minutes had gone by, the night growing darker and darker, when Rin looked up from her cutting board. A warm breeze pushed the doormat back and forth, swaying just enough for her to see the lantern still climbing higher in the sky. It seemed to grow even brighter as night fell - until _it_ fell. Rin had just happened to look up when, through the sliver of the doormat as it swayed, she saw the lantern suddenly pitch and fall in a flicker of flame. Rin frowned, slowly setting down her knife. She brushed the herbs off of her hands, wiping them on her kimono as she rose to her feet. Her skin still stained with green and smelling sweet, she pushed back the doormat and held onto the frame as she looked out over the forest. The lantern fell into the trees and disappeared from sight. She’d never seen one fall like that before. Her stomach turned and twisted, for a reason she did not know.

Jun and Kei followed her to the door. Their hackles raised, both of them growling out toward the forest.

Rin knelt down, brushing her fingers through their fur to try to calm them. “Oh hush,” she murmured, though even she found she didn’t have much confidence in her voice as she looked out toward the trees. “I’m sure it’s nothing.” Hovering in the doorway for only a moment longer, Rin cast a quick glance over to Takuya’s hut, the light of his fire glowing on the path outside his door, before finally turning back inside. Kei followed her back and curled up at her side, but Jun stayed seated dutifully at the doorway.

She was just falling asleep when she heard someone on horseback riding through the village. Hooves galloped across the dirt outside, heading through the far end of the village and toward the path up to the Fort on the mountain. Rin just barely caught a glimpse of the rider through the small window, his armor glinting in the moonlight. With the fire in the pit crackling on and dwindling down, Rin let it pass and drifted off.

She woke to a hand over her mouth.

Rin’s eyes shot open in the dark. The involuntary shriek was muffled and silenced by the heavy palm covering her lips. Thrashing her blanket off her body, Rin struggled against the hand on her face and the other one holding her shoulder down, until finally her vision cleared and her mind woke up enough to recognize the kind face of Takuya looking down at her.

“Rin! _Rin_ , calm down, it’s alright, it’s me,” he quieted her, voice low and urgent. “Get up. We have to go. _Now_.”

The first thing Rin realized was that she smelled smoke. Though the fire in the pit at the centre of the hut had already died down, she smelled smoke fresh and sickeningly sweet curling through the air. Then, it was the light outside the window. She thought for a moment that it was daylight breaking over the horizon, but realized with a horrifying chill that the light was too red and too wild - _fire_. The world caught up with her too quickly. The dogs were barking at the door, and what she’d thought was her racing heart beat was now echoing down the mountain in the beating of drums. Before she could fully absorb what was happening, Takuya was pulling her too her feet. He knelt down in front of her, taking the discarded blanket and wrapping it securely around her shoulders. “We need to go,” he repeated, voice trembling as he held her shoulders steady.

There was someone else in the hut. Finding it more and more difficult to breathe as panic began to rise, Rin looked to the side to find Sango standing on the far side of the hut. She was dressed in her Taijya armour, the Hiraikotsu strapped to her back as she bent down and pulled the other futon back and found it empty. It was difficult to see in the dark, with the smoke from outside masking any firelight that tried to penetrate through the window. Still, Rin could just barely see it when Sango stood and looked desperately around the small space.

“Where is Kagome?” Sango asked.

Struggling to find her voice, Rin looked back at Takuya. “What’s happening?”

“Rin,” Sango urged as she joined Takuya and knelt down beside the girl. “Where is Kagome?” Close enough now that Rin could see her face, Sango’s expression gave away the answer she already knew she would receive.

“She... she saw a lantern in the forest, she left to find Inuyasha,” Rin answered. “ _What is happening?!_ ”

Sango and Takuya’s heads snapped toward one another. In that moment, no one in that hut breathed. A deafening bang rippled through the streets outside, like a hailstorm. People began to scream. Sango was the first to jump to her feet, running to the chest leaning up against the wall. “Masao’s men are attacking the village. Miroku and I saw them coming down the mountain from our home. I left immediately to warn you all,” the slayer rushed out as she tore through the chest. Pulling out Kagome’s sacred longbow and arrows out from the chest, she strung the quiver over her back. “I don’t know what happened, but - they must have been found. Something must have happened, I don’t know, but the soldiers are attacking and we need to leave before they make it to the Shrine and find the Buddhist idols. Miroku has erected a barrier. I will get everyone I can to safety but you two need to go.”

The smoke was growing thicker. Rin couldn’t breathe. “But what about Kagome?”

The fire outside was spreading, throwing harsh light and shadows through the smoke into the hut. An agonized expression came over Sango’s face. “I don’t know, I...” she caught herself before voicing her worst fears, but still, Rin could see them in the tears in her eyes. Another explosion of gunfire ripped through the village, louder now. Sango shook her head. “We need to leave now, or we won’t be able to do anything for her.”

Rin did not have the chance to respond. Takuya took her hand, pulling her out of the hut and after Sango as she lead them through the streets. Gripping tight to the blanket around her shoulders, Rin stumbled to keep up, chancing a look behind her. The soldiers had made it to the shrine behind the hut. A stone Buddha was thrown down the steps, its head cracking off and rolling away as it hit the ground. One soldier shouted down at them, pointing to his comrades, who aimed their weapons down at them. Rin screamed. Skidding to a stop and pivoting on her heel, Sango pulled the Hirakotsu off her back and ran between Takuya and Rin, and the soldiers at the shrine. Their guns echoed like thunder through the village, but with the bone boomerang shielding them, no one was hurt. “Go!” Sango shouted, as the soldiers began to re-prime their muskets.

Jun and Kei were already running ahead of them, barking furiously as if to clear a path and lead them out of the chaos. Houses were burning. Villagers either fleed the attacking soldiers or surrendered in the hopes that they would not be harmed. All around her was violence and bloodshed, and Rin knew in that moment with a petrifying clarity that the War had finally reached them. Struggling keep up, Rin held on tight to Takuya’s hand-

Until they passed the village square. Rin would have missed it had she not happened to look between the huts and into the open land in the centre of the village. On the same plot where the village house their market, their festivals, including the same celebration of Masao’s arrival last summer, a group of Samurai stood speaking to a captive crowd, huddling together and cowering away from the swords and muskets pointed at them. In the centre, Captain Yorino stood addressing the crowd, pointing his katana down at a bloodied man forced to his knees.

 _Inuyasha_.

Without warning, Rin tore her hand out of Takuya’s grasp. Ignoring his shout, she ran through a narrow path between two huts, pressing her body flush against the wall as she peered out around the corner. There wasn’t even a single soldier holding Inuyasha down. Two Samurai stood guard behind him, but the hanyou was too weak to even attempt to stand. He’d been dumped unceremoniously on the ground, hands tied with common rope behind his back. There was so much blood on him, Rin couldn’t even hope to see where the wound was.

Yorino’s voice came to her barely audible over the roar of fire and guns and terrified voices, but what she heard chilled her to the bone. “...saw it with my own eyes! This monster _killed_ your Priestess, Lady Kagome!” The gathered crowd erupted into gasps and cries. Yorino’s wicked smile only grew more manic as he looked down at Inuyasha. Using the tip of his sword pressed under Inuyasha’s chin, he tipped the hanyou’s head up to look him in the eyes. Rin could not see Inuyasha’s face at this angle, his matted hair shrouding his face, but she could just barely see his jaw, the way his teeth were clenched, fangs bared in a snarl as his chest heaved for breath. Yorino only cocked his head up, grinning with his victory as he removed the tip of his sword, and Inuyasha’s head fell limp. “The Execution will be at Dawn.”

Rin stumbled away from the wall, spinning on her heel to run away, only to run right into Takuya’s chest. The Priest’s hands immediately came out to steady her as the girl’s panic became too much to handle. “Rin,” Takuya said evenly as he bent down to her level. _“Rin,_ breathe-”

“Something happened to Kagome!” Rin cried. She knew that what Yorino had said wasn’t true. She _knew_ beyond doubt that Inuyasha hadn’t killed her, felt it in her heart, but something horrible must have occurred in the forest. “They have Inuyasha, they- she could be- they said sh-she’s- we have to find her!”

Takuya looked behind him at Sango, as the slayer used the Hiraikotsu to block off the entrance to the narrow alley. “We will find her, Rin,” he tried to reassure her. “But right now, we have to get you out-”

“No!” Rin screamed, tearing herself away from Takuya’s hold. “We have to find her _now!”_

Jun and Kei’s heads snapped toward the Southwestern side of the village, ears perking up at full attention. The change in the dogs was so sudden it startled even Rin as they suddenly took off in that direction. With nothing to go on but her intuition, a gut sense pulling her after them, Rin ran off after the dogs. Behind her, Sango’s voice shouting to Takuya, telling him to go after her while she got as many people as she could to safety, was just another note in the discordant chaos.

Rin ran through the worst of it, feeling the heat of the fires on her skin, burning up in the air and making it almost unbreathable. Still, she persisted, running between villagers fleeing in all directions with the single-minded focus not to lose sight of the dogs. Then, all at once as they broke through the edge of the village, the heat vanished and was replaced with the cool night. Miroku and Sango’s home in the hillside forest was to the Northwest of the village, but the dogs were leading her across the rice fields into the darker woods. As she ran further from the village, the heat and the smoke faded. The sound of screams and fire quietened into the soft trill of crickets in the underbrush. Soon, a babbling flow of water overpowered all other sound.

Following the dogs along the river bed, Rin ignored the burning in her lungs and the growing weakness in her legs. She did not dare to look back. Even if she could no longer see the village between the trees, she did not dare. Teeth clenched, she pushed herself forward along the side of the river until finally she made it to the end, where a waterfall spilled over into a wide pool flowing into the stream. Here, the dogs stopped, getting as close as they could to bottom of the drop off without treading beneath the waterfall. They’d stopped barked, but were pacing anxiously and sniffing inside the cave like they wanted to enter. Rin frowned, taking just a moment to lean over a catch her breath before inching toward the base and peering into the cave.

The apparition of a great white dog bared its teeth back at her. Glowing crimson and illuminating the cave, the dog stood over the unconscious form of Kagome with a protective snarl. Rin swallowed a gasp, clinging to the wet boulders to keep her balance. Exhaling slowly, Rin slipped beneath the spray of the water and entered the cavern. The dog apparition growled and dipped its head down low, but still Rin stepped forward. She raised her hand toward the beast’s nose, holding her breath as it hesitated, menacing grimace fading. Recognition flashed in its golden eyes. The phantom raised its head, finally relaxing as its form began to distort, light slowly sinking down into the glowing crystal in Kagome’s outstretched palm. The moment the dog disappeared, Jun and Kei dashed in from outside, whining and prodding Kagome with their noses.

“Kagome!” Rin cried. She crashed down to her knees beside the Priestess, shaking her shoulder to rouse her awake. “Kagome, please! Wake up!” she pleaded.

Kagome groaned. As the residual light within the crystal faded, the cave went dark, and Rin found herself struggling to adjust. However, with the moon now high in the sky above the gap in the cavern ceiling, it was slightly easier to see. Kagome’s fingers curled slowly around the crystal. She groaned again, eyes squeezing tight before relaxing and slowly opening. “Rin...?” she breathed.

Footfall outside drew Rin’s attention to the waterfall. The silhouette of a man was cast in moonlight on the cascading water. “Rin!” Takuya called out to her.

“I’m here!’ she shouted back in reply.

Within moments, Takuya was easing his way past the waterfall and stumbling into the cave, rushing to Rin and Kagome. He knelt down on the other side of the fallen Priestess, hand on her back as he carefully guided her upright. “Kagome,” he panted. “Are you alright? What happened?”

Kagome did not answer at first. Still disoriented and in a daze, she stared down at the crystal in her hand. There was a heavy understanding in her gaze, a weight that had not been there before. When she spoke, her voice was wrecked. “They found us...” she rasped, voice barely above a whisper. “Inuyasha, he... he threw me off the waterfall to protect me...”

“I saw him in the village,” Rin said. “The soldiers are attacking. He’s _hurt_ , they’re-”

“They’re going to kill him,” Kagome already knew. The haunted glaze over her eyes said enough. “This is all my fault,” she choked off in a ragged cough, hacking into her sleeve as Takuya rubbed her back.

Hot tears brimming from her eyes, Rin shook her head, fingers drawing into a fist in the fabric of her white yukata. “There has to be something we can do!” she pleaded. A spark of light flashed in her eyes. “Lord Sesshomaru, he can stop this!”

Takuya shook his head, still trying to help Kagome catch her breath. “Rin-”

“No, he can!” she insisted as she scrambled to her feet. “He has an army of demons who have been fighting with Inuyasha, they can help! They have to!”

Kagome’s shoulders shook with the force of her coughs, but she managed to clear her throat enough to speak. “They wouldn’t listen-”

“They’ll listen to _me_!” Rin shouted. Without giving either of them a chance to respond, the girl turned and raced out of the cave, nearly slipping on the wet rock at the foot of the waterfall. She just barely caught herself, stumbling back out into the night.

“Rin, wait!” Takuya called after her. “Don’t run off again!”

“Go after her,” Kagome begged as she finally began to recover from her fit. “Go, I’ll be fine.”

Takuya cursed under his breath, looking between the young Priestess and the younger girl, torn between the two. He knew as well as Kagome did that Rin was putting herself in more danger, running off into the forest when Samurai could be wandering down any path. He set his gaze down on his pupil. “Go to Miroku and Sango’s home. They’ve erected a barrier. It is safe there,” he said. With that, he made to stand, but in the last moment, found a hand reaching out and curling into his haori sleeve.

“Takuya, wait,” Kagome pleaded. Takuya paused, settling back down on his knees at Kagome’s side. He stared down at her in a heart-wrenching combination of concern and confusion. Kagome closed her eyes, fighting between her emotions and her trembling voice until she willed herself to speak. “I don’t remember my father,” she began. “He died when I was very young, I have no memories of him and my mother never remarried...” Kagome opened her eyes, locking gazes with her teacher. Her hand curled tighter in his sleeve, lip shaking as she spoke what felt too strongly like a last confession. “I never knew what it was like to have a father.”

The _until now_ went unspoken. Still, Takuya understood. The breath left his lungs in a flood of air, shoulders deflating. Kagome could feel his hand shaking as it came up to rest on the back of her head, pulling her forward as he pressed his mouth to the crown of her head. He stayed like that only for a moment, conveying everything he had no time to say aloud. When he at least tore himself away, he spared her one heavy look before rising to his feet and following after Rin. Jun and Kei remained dutifully at Kagome’s side.

When Kagome found the strength to move, she stood slowly. For a moment, she simply stared down at the crystal in her hand, watching it reflect the moonlight beaming down from the hole above her. The events of her dream returned to her like dirt stirred into a bowl of water - as the spinning slowed, everything settled, and the hazy mess of her mind began to clear. Kagome wrapped her fingers around the crystal, pressing it to her lips. For just a moment, she could have sworn she felt a surge of warmth gracing her lips. Kagome slipped the chain over her own neck and tucked it into her kimono, letting the crystal hang down over her heart. That surge of warmth came back in a rhythm, keeping time with her heartbeat. Inuyasha’s pulse was steady beside hers.

Kagome emerged from the cave. Stepping through the gap between the rock wall and the cascading water, she came out on the forest floor. As she gaze down river and down the hillside, the smoke of the village continued to rise above the treetops. The glow of the fires was brilliant and awful in the night - but from there, everything was silent. Kagome breathed in, tilted her head back toward the moon overhead, and breathed out.

She understood now. She understood everything.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Rin ran until the soles of her feet were raw. Pushing her way through the dark forest, she climbed over stones and fallen trees, weaving through the thick underbrush. She could feel the branches tearing at her yukata, scratching her skin, but still she kept running. She ran until her lungs were on fire and her head swam with exhaustion. She ran until her legs shook with every step. This was the one thing that she could do. For months, all she’d been able to do was sit idly by and watch as Masao’s soldiers poisoned the first home she’d known in years. The one time she’d tried to stand up, she’d only made things _worse_ , but this was finally something she could do to help. Rin ran through the dark forest, the trees growing thicker and closer together the deeper she got.

A root caught her foot. Rin shrieked as she was sent tumbling through the dirt, unable to catch herself as she skidded across the earth. When she finally came to a stop, it was in a small glade, a clearing in the trees that allowed the moonlight to seep through the dense canopy of leaves overhead. She couldn’t even smell the smoke from the village anymore. Couldn’t hear the roar of the waterfall. The forest was filled only with the sound of crickets and leaves rustling in the light wind.

Rin did not get up. Breathing heavily with her forehead pressed into the dirt, she at last broke down. Broken sobs shattered from her lungs and spilled out through clenched teeth. With a mangled shout, she curled her hand into a fist and struck the ground, again, and _again_. She had no idea where she was going. Rin knew that when she’d run off, knew that she had absolutely no clue where to find the Demon Army, or how to get there in time even if she did. A little, nagging voice in the back of her head told her she’d done it on purpose - that she was afraid, that she didn’t want to face any of the terror she’d seen, that she’d run off just to save herself.

Well, she admitted to herself as she pushed herself up to her knees, the voice was half right. She was afraid. That was why she needed to get help so desperately. Tears streaming down her dirty face, Rin turned her head up toward the sky. The stars blinked back at her through the leaves overhead. “Lord Sesshomaru!” she shouted into the night. Her own voice echoed back at her, and died out into total silence.

Rin wasn’t entirely sure what she’d expected. Lord Sesshomaru was a powerful demon, the greatest she’d ever seen, but even he wasn’t omnipotent. He could not just sense that she was in danger in calling out for him. Still, there was one little part of her that believed that, just maybe, he really was. It was the same part of her that he had resurrected when she lie dead and abandoned on a lonely path. “Lord Sesshomaru, please!” she cried out again. “ _Please_ , I need you!”

Again, no reply.

Choked sob bursting from her chest, Rin dropped her head. “Please...” she pleaded again, quieter. “My friends are in trouble, a-and I don’t know how to help them... I _need_ to help them! I just got a family again, I don’t want to lose them! Please!”

A rustling in the forest grew a startled gasp from the girl. Rin, turned too quickly, falling over as she scrambled back from the approaching figure. She did not have the chance to scream before Takuya pushed back the tree branches blocking his path. He stumbled into the clearing, shoulders sagging in relief when he saw her. A fresh wave of tears blurred Rin’s vision. She clambered forward as he lowered down to his knees, throwing her arms around the man and sobbing against his chest. Takuya’s arms came up around her instantly, holding her tight.

“Oh, Rin...” he murmured.

“I’m sorry, Takuya,” Rin bawled into his haori. “I’m sorry for running off. I-I just don’t know what to do!”

Takuya hushed her, combing his fingers through her hair as he attempt to help her calm down. “Rin, you cannot solve this on your own,” he whispered to her. “I know you feel you must, but _no one_ can.” Holding her back, hands gentle on her shoulders, he swiped a thumb under her eye to wipe a stray tear away. “You are perhaps the bravest soul I know for trying, Rin, but there is only so much....” Takuya trailed off their, his gaze rising above Rin’s head and into the sky.

Rin frowned, wiping her nose with her sleeve as she turned over her shoulder to follow his gaze. “What is it?” she asked, her voice still hitching with every uneven breath.

Rising to his feet, Takuya kept one hand on Rin’s shoulder, stepping in front of the girl and ensuring that she stayed tucked away behind him. “I do not know...”

It took Rin a moment to see it, with her vision so blurred with tears. She blinked, gaze finally catching the single, bright star set out from the rest. Though she thought it might just be her own imagination at first, the star grew in intensity, its light nearly blinding as it began to fall from the sky and down to Earth. A ball of pure light descended in a gust of ripping wind and landed only several feet in front of them. Takuya raised his sleeve to protect himself, while Rin winced and pressed her face against his back. Just as quickly as the light and wind came, it dissipated. Rin hesitated before looking out from behind Takuya. The demon standing before them had the same flowing white hair, and the markings of an Inu Yokai - but it was certainly not Sesshomaru.

Standing in the centre of the clearing in her flowing, elegant robes, Lady Shimonami stared back at the two humans, a subtle smile on her painted lips.


	35. Chapter 35

When the great white dog demon landed, the mountain went into an uproar. Hoards of demons camped out along the cliff-sides, in the caves, and through the wide forests, all raised their heads towards the sky, voices bellowing out in a frenzy, as she descended. Their chorus rang out through the valleys, resonating on the mountain faces.

Shippo had been in the alcove he’d often shared with Inuyasha during their stay here when he saw the white dog falling down through the thick cloud cover. The alcove was at the front of the cave, offering a more open aired view of the surrounding mountain range while still remaining protected from the elements. He and Inuaysha had spent hours up here, sleeping or taking or making lanterns or doing absolutely nothing at all. In his anxious waiting for the return of his friend, Shippo had been perched up in the high alcove, in the company of Master Kenta. He’d spent the past day telling his teacher about his travels since he’d left the Fox Demon Monastery, showing him techniques he’d mastered, and otherwise just trying to keep himself entertained. Kenta, ever patient, simply listened and allowed the boy to do what he needed to occupy himself.

He’d felt it in the stone before he’d heard it in the air. The entire mountain seemed to shake as every demon camped on the mountain side roared in awe at the sky. It pulsed through the mountain, down into the caverns where there Demon Leaders were gathered. The demons inside began to trickle out through every cave entrance on the mountain, coming out like a hornet’s nest. Feeling the energy, static in the air like lightning, Shippo had been one of the first to scramble down to the cave floor and run out, Kenta on his heels, to stare up at the white demon descending toward them. The Leaders soon gathered behind him, all watching with great apprehension - all except Sesshomaru, who observed with a narrow gaze and a proud stance.

Shippo ran up to him, his two tails flitting nervously behind him as he looked between the Inu Yokai Lord and the hauntingly familiar dog descending on the mountain. “What’s going on?” he asked in a rush.

Sesshomaru spared him only an irritated glance before turning his full attention back to the new arrival.

As the dog fell gracefully toward the mountain, her massive form dissolved into a single ball of light. Touching down at the mouth of an enormous cave, the light slowly began to fade and disappear, leaving behind the human form of Lady Shimonami, and two humans at her side - one, a bewildered Priest, and the other, a distraught young girl. Lady Shimonami’s cold gaze swept over the hoard, her lips pursing as she pet her hand over the girl’s head. “Ah, I was right,” she said with an air of casual disappointment. “You do still live in caves.”

The child at Shimonami’s side did not seem to be distraught by her being spirited away by a demonic hound the size of a mountain. No, rather she clung to the Noblewoman’s robes with a familiar comfort. As she looked out at the gathering crowd of demons, her eyes flickered between faces in search rather than fear. Finally, when Sesshomaru stepped forward, her eyes began to water. She let go of Lady Shimonami’s robe, stumbling as she threw herself against him. The Priest standing to Shimonami’s side reached out as if to try to stop her, his worried eyes scanning the hoard of demons standing before them - but the girl didn’t seem to care.

Rin curled her fists in the fabric of Sesshomaru’s hakama, latching onto him as she buried her face against his side. “Lord Sesshomaru!” she sobbed. Anything she’d tried to say after was incoherent, her babbling muffled by Sesshomaru’s armour.

Unheeding of the odd looks he received from the other Demon Leaders, Sesshomaru simply placed his hand on Rin’s shoulder. He pushed her back with surprising gentleness, holding her at arms’ length so he could see her completely. His expression was blank, outwardly the same as his customary cold glower, but to anyone familiar with him, there was a touch of warmth around his eyes. Sesshomaru’s gaze traveled over her, searching out wounds and finding none save for the obvious cuts and scrapes on her forearms and calves. “Rin,” he said with a low, commanding tone. “Tell me what happened?”

Rin stepped back without resisting when Sesshomaru guided her to, holding her sleeve up to her face to wipe her tears away. She couldn’t seem to form the words, much less calm down enough to speak.

Sesshomaru lifted his head, looking to the mouth of the cave, gaze sharpening. “Mother.”

Lady Shimonami shrugged off her son’s glare, moving forward with an elegant step. “I found your girl lost in the woods, Sesshomaru. Really, you ought to keep better track of your things,” she admonished with a sardonic smile, tapping the Meido pendant hanging around her neck. “She was making a rather big fuss, too. Heard her from quite a long way.”

Sesshomaru’s jaw tightened, very clearly not pleased with his mother’s usual flippant tone, but nonetheless seemed grateful that she’d kept an eye on Rin through her connection to the pendant. Shimonami had never been overly fond of humans beyond passing interest, but she’d always found the girl charming. Still, Shimonami’s verbal dance around the subject only set Sesshomaru’s nerves on edge. “Explain,” he ordered.

Shimonami only shrugged again, gesturing with a delicate arc of her hand to Rin.

Lowering her sleeve from her face, Rin stood upright, back as straight and strong as possible, even as her eyes still watered and her lips trembled. “I-It’s Inuyasha and Kagome,” she hiccuped, trying desperately to gain composure. “They were caught by Masao’s soldiers. Inuyasha was shot and captured, they’re going to kill him in the morning. Please, Lord Sesshomaru, you have to stop them!”

Sesshomaru’s shoulders stiffened. With a sharp exhale and a curl of his upper lip, he looked out the mouth of the cave. “That fool,” he hissed. “I warned him it was a trap.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd. “Well, what the hell are we waiting for?” Shippo moved to step forward, but Kenta’s hand was heavy on his shoulder. “Let’s go, we have to stop them!”

“Shippo...” Kenta said warning.

Shaking his head, the young kistune looked up at his elder. “Rin said they’re gonna kill him in the morning! If we don’t leave now, we don’t make it in ti-”

Kenta’s hand tightened on his shoulder. “Shippo.” His voice was lower now, but stronger.

The yokai surrounding them were beginning to stir and shift in agitation. The tension radiating through the air was enough to bind his lungs. But still, Shippo did not listen. He wrenched his shoulder free from his teacher’s hold, fist clenched at his sides as he stood in front of the hoard. Glaring up at them, the most powerful Demons in Japan all congregated into one place, Shippo stood his ground. “What, that’s it?! You’re not going to do anything?!”

The Tengu Princess looked down on him with a sneer. “Inuyasha has only himself to blame. He refused to heed our warnings when he left, and now he is paying the price for his own stupidity. Why should we risk our lives to save him?”

“Inuyasha left because he was the only one brave enough to act when it mattered!” Shippo argued back, all fear of her and the other leaders thrown down the hillside.

From behind the Princess, the Chief of the Boar Demons snarled down at him. “When we sought to act against Masao,” he huffed, lips curling over his tusks, “it was _you_ and Inuyasha who berated us!”

Shippo stepped forward. “That’s because you didn’t fight for anything but yourselves!” he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the gathered leaders. “Cowards is all you are! You only fight when there’s power to be gained. You only put yourselves in danger when it suits you. For months, you’ve all bickered over maps and strategies, but now that the end is right in front of you, you’re _too afraid_ to reach for it!”

“We have lost thousands of our warriors,” the Heibi leader hissed. “Do not preach war to us, boy.”

“ _I watched my school get slaughtered!_ ” Shippo screamed. The high, cracking pitch of his voice bounced off the cave walls. Raw with pain and tears burning hot in his eyes, Shippo refused to tone down the strength of his emotions. He would feel, and he would feel _everything_ without reservation in front of the yokai trying to turn a cold shoulder to him. Shippo clenched his teeth. “I watched as an entire monastery of innocent students, my friends, were gunned down and killed without mercy. _You_ don’t preach sacrifice to _me_. Those kitsune weren’t sacrificed for any cause. They didn’t choose to fight. _We_ were attacked for no other reason than existing! Don’t tell me I don’t understand what this war means! It’s all of you who don’t understand, and you never have!”

“Then what,” the elegant Crow snapped, feathers bristling along her forearms and back as she stepped forward and loomed over the kitsune, “pray tell, is the meaning of this war? What on earth could _you_ understand? You are a child.” Turning to the hoard, the Tengu Princess flared her ink black wings out from her back. “The Humans are growing bold and must be put back in their place. They dare to threaten a power greater than they have ever known. It is time they feel the consequences!”

The demon hoard shook the mountain with their roaring reply. Droplets of water shook from the stalactites on the cave ceiling, dropping down over the crowd in a haunting mist. Every torch hung on the walls, and every fire in the rising alcoves, flickered. The amber light through the mist flashed and faded, illuminating the demons silhouettes. Beside Shimonami, Takuya drew in a sharp breath, realizing for the first time just how many demons had gathered in response to Masao’s conquest. They seemed to fill the entire mouth of the cave, emerging from the stone, hovering over one another in a massive wall of horrifying creatures. However, Shippo remained resolute, even as he shook with anger and fear.

“This was never about consequences!” Shippo replied as the roar died down. Even still, his voice could not pierce through low din of rumbling voices. “Inuyasha just wanted to go home! He just-” It was no use. They weren’t listening to Shippo any longer, couldn’t even hear the boy over their own voices. Feeling himself lose their attention, Shippo’s eyes grew wider, red and wet with tears as the last bit of hope began to drain from him.

Only one voice cut through the chorus. Shimonami stepped forward, that single, graceful movement enough to silence the hoard. “So,” she said, her tone clear as the single ring of a bell, “that means you’ll fight, does it not?”

The Tengu Princess whirled on her fellow royal yokai, her wings lowering to her sides as she dropped her head and narrowed her eyes. “We will fight when we so choose. Not at the beck and call of some Hanyou.”

Once again, the crowd roared in agreement. Rin straightened up at Sesshomaru’s side, wiping the last of her tears away with her sleeve. With her jaw set and her head held high, she marched before the hoard and stood next to Shippo. For a prolonged moment, she just stared back at the boy. It was the first time, Shippo realized, that they’d seen each other in the past year - the first time they were seeing each other eye to eye, at the same height, since he’d shed his smaller form. In the days before this war began, when Rin lived with Kaede in the village, and Shippo returned occasionally from his studies to visit, they’d always gotten along. They had played together. All of that seemed another life time ago. They had both grown up.

The human girl took the young demon’s hand, and turned to glare up at the hoard. “Fine then,” she declared, turning her chin up. “If _you_ won’t do something, _we_ will.” Tugging on the slightly bewildered Shippo’s hand, Rin turned her back on the demons and walked toward the edge of the cave, fully prepared to leave the demons behind and face Masao just the two of them if need be.

Shimonami watched the exchange and raised a delicately arched brow, the absolute picture of indifferent calm as she looked to the leaders. “And you?” she said. “You’ll not fight for your General?”

“Inuyasha was never our General,” the Boar Chief huffed. “He never even wanted to fight this war.”

“Well, of course he is your General,” Shimonami replied, arms folded into the long sleeves of her fur-lined kimono. “He seems to be the only one here who sought out a definitive end.”

Another murmur rippled through the hoard. It was then that the leader of the Bear demons rose to his full height, towering over the assembly as he approached the Inu Yokai. “Lady Shimonami,” he said evenly, the pitch of his voice low enough to rumble through the air like a drum, “this war is greater than one Half-breed and his human Priestess. This is a battle for the future of all Yokai. Our very existence is at stake.”

Shimonami stared up at the Bear for a long moment. Her critical gaze traveled over his form, decorated in armour and pelts. Of all things, she laughed. The crystal sound of it set every Demon in attendance on edge. A ripple of shock, confusion, and offense moved through the crowd in shifting bodies, clanking of armour, and low muttering. Shimonami smiled, the expression somehow more cold and cutting than any snarl or glare could ever be. “Oh! How quaint,” she chuckled, raising her sleeve to her mouth. “You truly believe that any of your lives matter.”

Silence. With that one statement, the hoard went entirely quiet. Shimonami had their full attention. The rush of the wind flowing through the mountain passes, the cicadas in the distant trees, and the quiet drip of water from the cave walls were the only sounds to penetrate the silence.

Shimonami dropped her hands down to her side, staring at the hoard with a level gaze. “Oh, please. Don’t fool yourselves. This is not some grand cause for the future of all Demons. Kill us all tomorrow, and a million more will take our place the next day,” she said with a flippant wave of her hand. “Doesn’t matter whether they spring from the ground, or the sky, or some dying human seeking out petty revenge. There will always be demons. This isn’t about our kind, this is about self-preservation - which is all well and good, but don’t make it out to be anything that it isn’t. This disillusioned Warlord trying to play God hasn’t the first idea what he is attempting to accomplish and how impossible it is. But,” she smiled, almost mocking as she tilted her head. “he is brazen, and he has power. Enough power to kill the lot of you. I know all about your little fight against his soldiers. You were all so riled up for battle, you rushed in without a second thought. For the first time, you were faced with your own mortality - and you got _scared_.” Shimonami let out a long sigh, turning her back on the demons with a dramatic flare. “It really is such a pity to see the great clans that once rallied under the flag of my late husband, reduced to such a pathetic state.”

An enraged screech resounded from behind her, followed by the sound of an unsheathed blade. Shimonami rolled her eyes, muttering a “for goodness’ sake,” under her breath as the Tengu Princess lunged at her, sword drawn. In one refined flow of movement, Shimonami spun around, ducking under the swipe of the blade. As she came up, her arms rose with her in an arc, her forearm blocking the arm of her attacker while her other hand came down over top, snapping the Crow’s wrist with a precise strike and seizing the weapons. Her motions were fluid and impossibly fast, a whirl of silk and fur. Before anyone had the time to react, Shimonami had the Tengu Princess’ own sword pointed at her neck.

Every Crow demon screeched and cawed in fury at the display, wings flapping in a deafening flutter that pushed gusts of wind through out the cavern. Shimonami was not in the slightest moved by their threat. She stared down the Princess before rolling her eyes again and lowering the sword. “Do not squawk at me,” she said as she straightened up. “It’s undignified.”

The Crow demons were still preparing for a riot as their Princess recovered, but went silent the moment she swiped her hand through the air. She glared back at Shimonami, but knew better than to let her anger get the better of her again. Shimonami regarded her only for another moment before turning her back once again and walking away, sword still in hand.

Sesshomaru had remained still, observing as his mother was attacked and seemingly indifferent to it - but he knew better than anyone there that the Lady of the Inu Yokai could more than handle herself. In any case, she had a tendency to get cross when Sesshomaru interfered on her behalf. Shimonami took her place at the mouth of the cave once again. However, as she stopped, and the energy rippling through the crowd began to calm, it was Takuya that finally spoke up. The Priest had been silent through the entire ordeal, watching the demons in awe. Now, as he stepped forward, it wasn’t without hesitance or fear, but a persistence to speak anyways. The demons eyed him carefully, distrustful of the holy man, and maybe rightfully so.

But, when he stopped before them, it was with reverence. Not the hatred or righteous anger they may have expected. Takuya bowed low. The show of respect had their attention. As Takuya rose, he looked up at the hoard, the thousands of demonic eyes watching him, with a pleading gaze. “Great Yokai...” he began. “I’m sure you’ll not listen to an old man but please, hear me.” When he wasn’t struck dead on the spot, he figured that was as much of an invitation to continue as he was going to recieve. “I know that as a Shinto Priest, you may believe I harbour a deep hatred for your kind. I have banished and purified demons in the past, and I would do it again. However, understand that those demons were those that killed and sought chaos without reason, taking more than they needed for sport. As a Shinto Priest, it is my duty to purify for the cause of balance. That is all. I, of all people, understand that there is no life without destruction. No light without darkness. The clearing out of the dead makes way for the living. A flower left for too long in the sun will wither and die, just as it will never grow if it is shrouded in night...” Takuya looked down at his hands, weathered and browned from his years working with the soil - as if it had all lead him to this moment. “There is... a balance to everything. Light does not mean purity, just as darkness does not mean evil.”

Sesshomaru went stiff. It was just a bare hint of a change in his demeanor, a slight widening in his eyes. He looked to Shimonami, who smiled back at him in silent knowing - they’d both heard that before.

Takuya’s fingers closed into his palms, his arms lowering down to his eyes as he looked up at the demons, weary down to his bones. “I do not ask you to fight for Inuyasha. Or for Kagome. I ask only that you use your powers of destruction to restore that balance.”

“And, in any case,” Shimonami chimed in, moving to stand beside the Priest. “Inuyasha _was_ the only thing standing between you and that Godstone everyone’s so worked up about. What are you going to die if he dies?” she cocked her head. “Find another Hanyou? Force them to channel their Yoki into the crystal? Suppose then you’ll have to cower behind them every time Masao threatens you with his little rock. If you ask me, which of course none of you have been wise enough to do, it would be much less troublesome to just take this opportunity to put an end to this.”

Shippo, still holding onto Rin’s hand, spoke up. “Inuyasha said that if you keep waiting for the right moment, it’ll never come... I don’t think he ever meant that we should rush head first into battle. He knew what was at stake... but he also knew what was worth the risk.”

Shimonami nodded to Shippo. “So,” she continued, gliding toward, “you can hide on your mountain if that’s what you wish. But if you are going to make war, then by all means,” she held out the Tengu Princess’ sword, pushing the blunt side of the blade against her chest plate with a piercing gaze. “Make War.”

The demon hoard watched in anticipation. Meeting Shimonami’s gaze at eye level, the Princess wrapped her hand around the blade, and took it from the Lady of the Inu Yokai. Shimonami nodded, stepping back and turning her gaze to her son. But Sesshomaru wasn’t looking at her. His focus was fixed solely on the valleys stretching down beyond the mountain. It was clear, in that moment, that he’d already made his decision. He’d made it the moment Rin told him what had happened. Sesshomaru walked away from the hoard, to the edge of the cave. Koga, who’d been just as silent and resolute, stepped up after him, the Goraishi flashing onto his hand.

Sesshomaru spared his ally a single look before turning back toward the world opening up below. “Follow, if you so choose,” he said. “It makes no difference to me.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

There were no windows in this cell. The stone walls were cold and damp, puddling on the ground in rough crevices. The only light in the room was that of the torch lights on the wall outside the cell, and even that came through a small, barred hole cut out of the door. Chained to the wall, Inuyasha slumped against the stone, shivering from cold and blood loss. His wounds were already beginning to close, scabbing over in dozens of small holes. His body had rejected the bullets that did not pierce all the way through. Each one had pushed itself out from his body, agonizingly slow, and clattered to the ground. The sickening clink of lead falling to the stone floor had punctuated the silence all night.

The prison ward was silent, in any case. Aside from occasional soldiers passing by the ensure that their prisoner was subdued, Inuyasha’s ear flicked toward distant sounds through out the night. Hammers on steel in an armory on the other side of the Fortress, sharpening blades, and barked commands. They were preparing for a war. Inuyasha wasn’t quite sure if they were about to get one, but it was clear they were expecting everything to come to a head by the time the sun had risen in the morning. It was grating, but bearable. He could, to an extent, withdraw his senses into the oppressive, dark quiet of his cell - but that was, of course, only to that extent.

Footsteps echoed against the stone from down the row of cells, growing louder as they approached. Inuyasha saw the shadow on the far wall before he saw the man, just a face glaring down at him through the narrow window. Inuyasha barred his teeth, snarling in warning to be left alone. When the soldier only sneered and laughed, Inuyasha pulled violently against his chains. The soldier flinched back. Inuyasha gritted his teeth, biting back the pain until the soldier had left, just so he could get the last laugh. He winced as he slumped back against the cold, wet wall again. A droplet of water fell from the ceiling and onto his face. It was a bare comfort compared to the agony wracking his body.

He’d survived the volley fire, but it was a slow healing, especially for him. Had he been at his best, he would have been walking out of here already, plucking the bloodied bullets from his skin and flicking them into the grass. Nothing more than a nuisance. Fact of the matter was, though, he wasn’t. Inuyasha may have grown stronger in the time he’d been away, but that came with a price. He’d have paid it again a thousand times over, though. In those few, tense seconds before he’d thrust his Godstone into Kagome’s hands and thrown her off the waterfall, he’d realized three things:

That he was going to be caught. In that moment, it had been either be save Kagome and take the bullet, or try to stave off the inevitable until they were both taken, and that was just not an option.

That he could not let Masao know about his Godstone. If the Warlord found out how Inuyasha had managed to withstand its power, who knew what he would do? Inuyasha couldn’t risk him counteracting the only measure of defense that he had.

And lastly...

Inuyasha’s head snapped up to the cell door again. Another pair of footsteps, heavier than the last, was heading toward him with a quick pace. They stopped abruptly just before his door. The light, metallic clinking of keys preceded the forceful turn of the lock. Inuyasha turned his head as intense torchlight flooded into the room, his eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden change. When at least his vision cleared, the door had swung just shy of shut, allowing a sliver of light to spill through at the edges. Captain Yorino stood over him, just out of reach of the chain’s limit. Inuyasha found his lips involuntarily curling over his fangs at the sight of the smug man glaring down his nose at him. They both knew then that they had been in this same position only months ago.

Yorino said nothing as he appraised him, like a hunter determining the value of his catch. Inuyasha still had a cut on his chin from the man’s blade in the village square. A thin trickle of dried blood ran down his jugular. In the burning chaos of the village siege, Yorino had looked no different that one of the demons in the hoard. Even now, with the torchlight at his back, his slitted eyes held an unearthly glow, and the scales running up along his arm and neck shimmered. Yorino curled his lip in disgust right back at Inuyasha, his forked tongue flitting between his teeth. With a rough yank, Yorino reached up and pulled the crystal off his armor and held it out in front of him.

An excruciating blue light erupted from within the crystal. Inuyasha swallowed a yelp like gravel in his throat, sinking back as far as possible from the blinding, holy light. A roar shook through the foundations of the room, so loud Inuyasha’s ears flattened against his skull. From within the crystal, the phantom of a blue dragon came spiralling out, nearly too large to be contained by four walls. The dragon lashed as it circled the room, until its empty, black eyes narrowed down on Inuyasha. The hanyou glared up at the dragon, even as he felt himself being attacked to his core by its overwhelming energy. With another head-splitting roar, the phantom morphed and condensed.

When the light faded, Lord Masao was standing in the room. Corporeal and real as the chains binding Inuyasha to the wall. He seemed to take up the entire room with his presence, looming over Inuyasha’s form on the ground in full armour. At his side, he had the original Godstone geode tucked under his arm, cracked open and glistening in fractals where crystals had been carved out piece by piece. Staring down at Inuyasha, he released a harsh breath out his nose. “So... it is true.”

From behind him, Yorino’s lips twisted into a smile. “Now you see, my Lord. I-”

“Get out, Captain,” Masao cut him off with a sharp command.

Yorino faltered. The expression dropped from his face, replaced instantly with despair and desperation. “But, my Lord-”

A rush of wind and light burst from Masao, the dragon’s head materializing above him and letting out a deafening roar. Masao remained unmoved by the force of his own display, standing deathly still as the Godly beast thundered its fury. “Get. Out,” he seethed.

Without taking his eyes off the dragon, Yorino simply nodded. He backed slowly out of the room, nearly tripping over Inuyasha’s chains in his haste to escape. He slipped out through the door, slamming it shut in his wake. Inuyasha had to admit that it was rather satisfying seeing the proud Samurai reduced to cowardly trembling as he scrambled away. However, there wasn’t much left in him at the moment to take any joy out of it. With the dragon still floating above his head, translucent and ethereal, Masao sheathed his sword and turned to look down at Inuyasha. Total silence overwhelmed the small cell. Even as Inuyasha felt the power of the Godstone biting at his own energy, bleeding his yoki dry, he refused to look away. Inuyasha glared right back up at the Warlord beneath his fringe of bloody, silver hair.

Masao straightened up, meeting Inuyasha’s glare head-on. “White Phantom,” he said as if greeting him for the first time.

Inuyasha said nothing. He grinned, cocking his head to the side with a shrug that rattled his chains.

Masao’s lips pulled back in a snarl. “So, it _was_ you, wasn’t it? Weakening my territories. Attacking my men. Alive all this time... I did not want to believe it,” he hissed. The dragon’s tail flicked in response to his emotions, it’s long body slithering through the open air. “How did you do it? _How_ did you survive?”

Again, Inuyasha remained silent, jaw clenched tight as he stared up at the manic Lord.

His silence only fueled Masao’s rage. “It was Lady Kagome, wasn’t it? You tricked her, _seduced_ her into aiding you, and the moment she no longer served your purpose, you _killed_ her!” he shouted as the dragon’s thundering growling resonated through the walls. “Well, Hanyou... though I did not wish to believe that you had survived, I have been preparing.” Masao reached into a small pouch tied to his belt, next to his ammunition case. From within the pouch, he plucked a small sphere, not even the size of his palm. It was polished smooth, but the pattern of facets glistening like mirrors inside gave away its source - a Godstone. Masao reached to his other side, and pulled out an ivory matchlock pistol. With a crazed grin, hair coming undone from his tie and falling in unkempt strands over his face, Masao dropped the sphere into the muzzle of the pistol. It fell to the bottom of the barrel, the sound like stone hitting sand.

A bullet, primed with a single purpose.

“You see it now, don’t you?” Masao said, his voice a near purr as he inspected the pistol. “It was always you, Inuyasha. From the very beginning, it has always been you. _You_ have been the one thing standing in my way after all these years. From the day you met Kaede’s sister and brought her to ruin, you have been a harbinger of death and misfortune. And now, I am going to put an end to it. I pray that your armies come to your rescue tomorrow. Mine will be there to meet them, and I will _finally_ be free to cleanse this land.” When Inuyasha once again did not respond, Masao growled, kneeling down to his level and leaning into his face. “Well? Have you nothing to say?”

Inuyasha spat in his face. Masao recoiled in disgust, wiping the bloody saliva off his cheek with his sleeve before lashing out with a roar and bashing Inuyasha across his temple with the side of the pistol. Swallowing back a grunt of pain, Inuyasha recovered, only to find the cold muzzle of the pistol pressed underneath his chin. Masao’s finger hovered over the trigger. One shot, and it was over, but all Inuyasha could do was stare Masao down. A grin slowly bled onto his face as blood dripped down from his forehead. Masao’s eyes flashed with the cold blue light glinting off the barrel of the pistol. Inuyasha’s reflected the torchlight shining in from the cell window.

The mirage of the blue dragon vanished. Masao ripped the gun away from Inuyasha’s chin. Rising to his feet, he kicked him in the chest for good measure, watching in satisfaction as the air rushed out of Inuyasha’s lungs. Inuyasha doubled over, coughing and clutching at his chest. Turning on his heel, Masao stalked out of the cell door. Evidently, he’d decided it wasn’t worth killing him without an audience. Inuyasha, with a bitter sort of humour, couldn’t decide if he should feel flattered or offended.

As he slowly regained his breath, Inuyasha sat up and resumed his position leaning back against the cell wall. The darkness returned, and with it the silence. He had hours left until his execution at sunrise. Inuyasha let his head tilt back, finding some manner of relief for his pounding head against the cool stone. He probably should have been more anxious than he was. However, he couldn’t really find it in him to feel fear. He’d already settled on his fate the moment he pushed Kagome off that waterfall - the moment he’d realized three things.

That he was going to be caught.

That he couldn’t let Masao know about his Godstone.

And lastly, that Kagome would come through for him.

She would understand his plan, that much was certain. That woman was smarter than anything, and cunning enough to see through to his scheme. And, even if she didn’t... or even if she understood, but couldn’t do it, she would have his Godstone. She would be safe. And with that comfort alone, Inuyasha was content to wait for dawn.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The glow of the barrier guided Kagome through the forest like a beacon. When she’d emerged from the cave, its light had been a bare glimmer through the trees. Even if she hadn’t been told by Takuya to go to Miroku and Sango’s home for safety, she may have been able to find her way by its light alone. With Jun and Kei following on either side, Kagome made her way through the dark forest until she’d made it out to the small clearing at the wood’s edge. The comfortable home sat atop its little hill with a view of the village below broken by a few trees. Talismans sparkled in the trees surrounding the home, casting a violet barrier around the clearing. There was some evidence that soldiers had tried to break in - footprints on the ground in the torn grass, slices in the mud and the trees where swords had been swung and bounced back, but by the time Kagome arrived, it was eerily quiet.

Dozens upon dozens of villagers were crowded inside the barrier. They took up the house, spilling out into the grass surrounding it until they’d taken up practically the entire clearing. Some were injured, many distressed and wailing for lost loved ones and the destruction of their homes. Those at the edge of the barrier flinched back in fear when she approached, wary of the newcomer. It was only when she stepped out of the shadow of the forest that they recognized her. Their voices were muffled by the barrier, but she could at least discern that they were saying her name in clear shock and relief.

Kagome’s brows knotted at the center as she looked over the barrier. She lifted her hand, not quite sure it would work but moving on instinct, and pressed it to the barrier. Closing her eyes, she poured her concentration into her hand. A small patch of the barrier began to waver, its light dimming just slightly. Kagome stepped through with ease, and the barrier closed once again behind her.

“Lady Kagome! We thought you’d been killed!” a woman cried at her side.

Kagome did not know how to respond. Her gaze traveled over the villagers. Refugees from a war they had at first welcomed onto their doorstep. Now they sat huddling together for safety, clutching their families close. Kagome looked down at the woman and offered a dim smile, before continuing on toward the house. There was hardly any standing room, but the villagers shifted and moved to clear a path for her, the dogs trotting along behind. She stepped up onto the porch surrounding the home and pulled back the shoji door. Her sacred bow and quiver of arrows had been propped up against it, and fell over as the door as the door moved. Kagome stopped, staring down at her weapons for a moment before lifting her gaze. It took her a moment to pick them out of the crowd, but the moment she stepped inside, she spotted Sango rising up over the rest. She’d been sitting with Miroku and the children closest to the fire in the main room. Miroku broke from his prayer and looked up at Kagome in flooding relief.

Sango nearly tripped her her haste to get to Kagome, clutching Hinata close her her chest. Stepping over the villagers sheltered in her home, she threw her free arm around her friend, holding her daughter to the side. “Kagome!” she cried. “Thank the Gods you’re safe. Where are Rin and Takuya? They went to look for y-”

“Rin ran off,” Kagome said. “Takuya went after her, they’re alright...” Even her voice didn’t sound like her own, low and smooth. Kagome almost felt it didn’t belong to her, like she was walking in a borrowed body. She shook the thought from her head.

Miroku rose slowly to his feet, grunting as he straightened his back. He was still in pain, his lashings scabbing over and scarring every inch of skin down his spine. Still, though he moved carefully, he joined them at the doorway and embraced Kagome. “We will figure this out, Kagome,” he vowed. “I swear to you, we won’t let anything happen to Inuyasha.”

Though Kagome had returned the embrace, her arms dropped down to her sides at the Monk’s words. Her gaze flickered down to Hinata, sleeping peacefully through the tense night, before sweeping to Mamoru and the twins by the fire. “I know...” she murmured. “But... _I_ won’t let anything happen to him. I can’t let you two risk your lives in this when so much is at stake.”

Miroku and Sango exchanged a heavy look. “Kagome...” Miroku began.

Kagome shook her head. Stooping down to the ground, she gathered her bow and arrows off the floor. As she stood she slung her quiver over her shoulder. The entire village had its eyes on her, from those gathered inside the house, to everyone outside in the clearing, bathed in violet light. Kagome closed her eyes, inhaling a full breath. “I’m sorry...” she said, projecting her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Kagome turned and stepped out onto the porch. “I’ve failed you.” Her focus narrowed down to the village beyond, where the shrine behind her home once stood. The moon’s light, faded behind the gathering clouds, just barely glinted off the two gravestones there. Kagome squared off her shoulders and began to walk away. “But now there’s something that I have to do.”

Again, the villagers parted for her, and Jun and Kei walked along at her heels.

Miroku hurried out onto the porch after her, stumbling and wincing at the ache. “Wait, Kagome!” he called out. “You shouldn’t go back there, it’s too da-”

Kagome walked through the barrier, its glow shifting and reforming around her.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was raining when Kagome made it to the village. The fires had all died out, leaving the air sickeningly sweet and heavy with smoke and charcoal. Ruined huts lined her path, those still standing filled with villagers that had been spared - and those that had not been so lucky. Kagome walked through the destruction, feeling more like a phantom herself as she followed the winding path. Jun and Kei walked ahead of her, disappearing between houses and crossing the path up front, sniffing out the way and keeping watch for danger. As Kagome passed through the village square, her eyes were drawn toward a piece of parchment that had been nailed to a pole staked in the centre.

_By order of Lord Masao of the Takeda Clan, the hanyou Inuyasha will be put to death at sunrise._

Kagome could just barely read the paper. The rain was soaking into the parchement and causing the ink to run. Within moments, it was too heavy to stay up, and ripped down the middle from the nail, and fell to the ground. Kagome stepped on the paper as she continued on her way.

The rain had increased to a steady pour by the time Kagome had climbed the steps up to the remains of the shrine. The shrine house itself had been raised to the ground, its contents pillages and destroyed. The two graves, however, remained unscathed. Kagome slipped her quiver off of her shoulder and set her bow down on the ground. She took her time in her movements, unhurried by the rain. It had already completely soaked through her clothes, her hair, glistening on her cheeks.

Lowering herself to the ground, Kagome sat on her knees in front of Kikyo’s grave, and allowed the rain to cascade over her. Hands relaxed in her lap, she bowed her head and closed her eyes. The patter of the rain on the stone, and the low, distant rumble of thunder resounded around her. Slowly, the voices of a hundred women all singing in different melodies without words, yet all harmonizing to the same haunting tune, echoed in Kagome’s mind. It was not a physical sound, but she could feel them. She could feel every single one of them, all of the lives she’d lived and the ones that had yet been born. Hundreds of women, and she could feel them all in her soul, as real as the cool raindrop sliding down the back of her neck.

_“Kagome, Kagome. You are no more than a bird in a cage...”_

The words came and went, fading into the sea of voices and contrasting melodies. Kagome lifted her head and opened her eyes. In the reflection of the polished gravestone, Kikyo stared back at her. The deceased priestess sat in the same position, and for a passing moment, Kagome could have mistaken her for her own reflection - in some ways, she realized, she was. However, there was that deep sadness in her eyes, radiating out from within the mirror, that Kagome recognized in one heartbeat.

“So,” Kikyo began. “Now you understand.”

Kagome breathed out. “Yes, I believe so.”

From within the reflection, Kikyo shook her head. “Flickering Lanterns...” she scoffed. “I was just a girl when I made up that song. I never thought anything of it, they were just words, it didn’t mean anything. I never thought Kaede would ever remember it, but she always did love songs like that... I no idea what it would come to mean.” As she mentioned the song, the quiet chorus melded into the tune, and faded again just the same.

“I think...” Kagome chewed at her bottom hip. “I think there was a part of us that knew. We were trying to leave a message for ourselves. It just took me too long to realize it.”

The two priestesses, mirror images of each other, sat in silence as the rain continued to pour down.

“You know you are going to die,” Kikyo murmured.

Kagome sighed, shoulders dropping. The rain plastered the fabric of her kimono against her skin. “Everyone dies,” she replied. “I don’t know how, or when, but.... yes, I know that. I guess this has always been inevitable...”

Kikyo’s face twisted in pain, a weary agony that sank in deeper than her sadness could ever reach. “It’s not _fair_!” she snapped.

Kagome realised something in that moment. It was a single thought, but one that struck down to the core of her. She was older now than Kikyo ever was. In every way, she was the older soul, but here in this life, in this physical body... Kikyo was the younger girl. She was spiteful, and hurt, and upset with the hand they’d been dealt. Kagome wanted nothing more than to reach back through the past, to comfort her. As it was, though, she couldn’t. Kagome took her anger in stride, even as she felt it emit from somewhere deep within her own soul. She lifted her head to the sky. Though she couldn’t see the moon, Kagome knew that it was there, somewhere behind the veil of black clouds. The moon was there, always changing, but always coming back just the same in an endless cycle. “No,” Kagome sighed with a sorrowful smile as she looked back at her reflection. “No, it really isn’t. But we both know we’ll do it a thousand times over, if it means we get to see _him_ again. And that’s the whole point, isn’t it?”

Kikyo did not respond. She didn’t need to. They both already knew the answer. As her image faded and morphed, Kagome’s own true reflection began to take its place, her mind’s eyes pulling back to reality. However, as the chorus of voices began to fade along with it, one tune remained.

_“Crane and a turtle, gonna slip and fall...”_

In the reflection of the gravestone, the image of a little girl with a patch covering her eye appeared just a few feet back.

_“Who’s behind you...?”_

Kagome gasped, head whipping around to look for the girl. No one was there.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On brand: overdramatic and long overdue.

There was a meadow on the outskirts of the village. A rolling field looking over the rice paddies, covered in lush green grass and wildflowers as it seeped into the Forest of Inuyasha. This was the place the village children came to play on hot summer days after they’d finished their chores. Where lovers came to lay in the soft grass and stare at the brilliant stars. It had only ever been a place of peace. Crickets and cicadas sang in the bushes each night, as if the grass itself was alive and vocal.

But the meadow was silent that early morning. Not even a cricket dared sing.

Long before the sun broke over the hills, before its light even stained the dark night sky, Lord Masao and his soldiers descended from the mountain. A steady stream of hundreds of men in battle-ready armour began a procession down the mountainside from their fortress. They trampled through the charred remnants of the village in the valley. The ground was wet, stained black with soot that ran into puddles like ink. Then, with just glimpses over the distant horizons, more soldiers appeared. And more. and more. Slowly, forces from nearly every corner of the Takeda Clan’s territory converged on this one village, after already walking through the night. More would be coming.

There were not many civilians left in the village after the raid the night before. Some remained huddled in their homes, shaking with fear, having spent the night praying their families would be spared. Some escaped to the forest. Some were not so lucky. But, with dawn slowly approaching, the survivors limped their way toward the single safe haven left - the home of the Monk and the Taijiya. Throughout the night, some braver villagers had ventured outside the barrier, shepherding those still wandering the forest to safety.

This is how they learned of the coming execution.

There was hardly enough room to stand now, with how many scared villagers were taking refuse in and around their home. Miroku had, as more people came, gradually widened the reach of the barrier, moving protective talismans and concentrating on maintaining the shield’s strength. It was taxing, but as more came, he found more volunteers to join him in meditating, to keep the barrier strong. Turning anyone away because there was no room was not an option. They made room. At the very least, with more help in maintaining the barrier, Miroku was given some time to rest. It was to be a long night.

Just before dawn, the witnesses came to tell them of Masao’s men heading down the mountain, marching their prisoner mercilessly with them to his death. Realizing, as he ushered the newcomers in, that his wife was nowhere to be seen, Miroku turned toward the house. He was strong in his movements, but there was no mistaking the pain that twitched at the edges of his mouth. Many of the villagers, camping out on the grass around the home, could not bare to look the Monk in the eyes. Most of them had watched, the day he was flogged. Their shame in their inability to stop it was silent, but there nonetheless.

Miroku, still stepping around sleeping children and wounded men and women, made his way to the only unoccupied room of the small home. Pushing aside the sliding door, he found just as he’d expected inside. His children lay sleeping in the corner, Mamoru nestled between Umeko and Sayuri, who even in sleep reached for each other. They had been moved from beside the hearth and gently placed on a futon. Hinata lay swaddled in a blanket, carefully tucked inside a shallow basket. And, as Miroku’s gaze swept up to where his wife stood before a mirror lying against the wall. A small oil lamp had been placed on the floor in front of her, an amber-red glow that reflected in the mirror. She was already dressed in her Taijiya uniform, each piece of armour tied into place. With a red ribbon between her teeth, she swept her long brown hair up into her fist at the back of her head. Sango only paused a moment as Miroku entered, their eyes meeting in the reflection. Miroku pulled the door shut behind him, as Sango took the ribbon and tied her hair back.

“Sango...” Miroku whispered, unwilling to break the quiet and wake his children.

“Don’t start, Miroku,” she replied, as she pulled the knot tight. “I know what you’re going to say.”

No mistaking that. Miroku sighed, but approached his wife slowly nonetheless. “Then let me say it anyway,” he began, catching the brief flicker of pain across her face. “Sango... do you remember Bodhi? What you said that night...”

Sango dropped her head, shoulders stiff. “Don’t...” she repeated.

Still, Miroku pressed on. Standing behind her, he wound his arms around her waist, pressing his forehead against the crook of her neck. “That if worse came to worse... you’d take the children away, somewhere beyond Masao’s influence... where you would be safe.”

“I know what I said,” Sango snapped, though still her voice did not raise much above a whisper. She released a quivering breath, staring back at their reflection in the dull, warm light. “And you know that we’d never make it that far now.”

“Hinata is still so young...” Miroku murmured, his voice thick as he pressed his lips to her neck. “She needs you, Sango.”

Sango closed her eyes. “One of the village women gave birth not long before Hinata was born. She promised to nurse her for me... just until I return,” she said, her voice dropping after that hesitation.The unspoken _“if”_ hanging there was more than Miroku could bare. He pressed another kiss, further up on the hollow behind her ear. This time, Sango turned in his arms, laying her hands gently against his chest. “We’re surrounded, Miroku. There’s nowhere else to go... and I am not going to abandon Inuyasha and Kagome.”

“I don’t intend to either,” Miroku replied firmly, hands resting on the small of her back now.

Sango caught on easily, her eyes widening with a mix of horror and disbelief. “Miroku, you cannot fight,” she insisted. “You’re still too injured. It pains you just to _walk_ , you can’t-”

“It’s just pain,” Miroku hushed her. “I’ve fought through worse.” They both knew that well enough. Sango shook her head, gritting her teeth as she looked away in an effort to keep the sob. Hooking his finger under her chin, Miroku gently coaxed Sango to look up at him. “There isn’t anything in this world or the next that could keep me from you, Sango. If I cannot convince you to stay here, then I will not let you fight alone.” With that, he slipped his hand up to cradle her cheek. Sango laid her hand over his, turning her head to kiss the spot on his palm where the wind tunnel once lay. As a tear slipped down her cheek, Miroku swiped it away with the pad of his thumb. “But this isn’t Naraku, Sango. There is so much more at stake here. We cannot afford to be selfish this time,” he muttered, his voice already thick as he tilted their foreheads together. “So... if we do this, we must both promise. If either of us falls... the other will leave, and return to the children.”

Sango couldn’t keep it in any longer. A sob broke free from her lips, quiet as it was. Still, she nodded. They both knew the pain of being orphaned. It was not something they were willing to subject their children to. With her promise, Miroku kissed her, and Sango just barely restrained herself from throwing her arms around him, for the sake of his scarred back.

They kissed each of the children on the forehead, careful not to wake them. They couldn’t bare to. It was difficult enough as it was not to scoop them into their arms and never let go, knowing what they were about to do. Hinata was still a newborn, and the Twins and Mamoru were too young to understand. Sango nearly broke down, brushing her hand over Hinata’s soft head, but she remained strong, standing and pulling Hirakotsu over her shoulder. With Miroku taking his staff, the two of them held hands with a tight squeeze, their resolution strengthening, as they slid the door back and walked out of the room. The barrier would hold. They would be safe here.

Navigating their way out of the house, the two them stepped out onto the front porch, stopping at what they saw there. Every able-bodied man in their shelter, standing in the grass, preparing the meagre weapons and farming tools they had fled with. Of their own accord, they were preparing for battle. Standing in front of them all, the farmer Shiro turned to face Miroku and Sango as they made their appearance.

Dawn was quickly approaching.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

They’d dragged him down the mountain. They’d ripped him from his cell long before the sun had risen, hands bound behind is back, and marched him to his execution. The force wasn’t necessary. Inuyasha wasn’t in any state to fight back - a fact that had seldom ever stopped him before, but still. Inuyasha put up little resistance as they shoved and taunted him, making the treacherous journey down the mountainside from the Fortress even more agonizing. A Samurai stripped him of the tessaiga, tying it to his own waist and boasting his prize to his comrades. Inuyasha eyed the fang, but did not struggle to get it back. The drums, heralding their approaching, echoed across the valley and down into the village below.

The procession lead them through the poor collection of houses, little more than rubble now. The civilians left peered out of their homes to watch the soldiers drag their prisoner by. Inuyasha recognized many of these faces. They were men and women he’d known, maybe not always by name, but certainly enough to remember. It was no secret that he’d never integrated well with the humans in the village he’d called home, was never outright unfriendly but not exactly neighbourly either. Still... he’d _known_ them. Familiar faces, the same ones he’d seen passing through the market square. The same ones he’d seen enraged, shouting for his death the night of the festival. Those same faces now met his eyes in passing, wide in horror at what they’d been complaisant to.

Inuyasha did not hate them. Try as he might, he just couldn’t do it. Maybe it was the pain of the bullet wounds, still trying to close and mend, or maybe the exhaustion of a sleepless night, or his own travel-weary soul. He’d been away for a year, had a lot of time to be angry. These villagers had been manipulated and controlled, taken hostage by the same warriors they’d once welcomed into their homes with open arms. Now, that same village was lying in ashes, the air heavy with damp smoke, and there was just no anger left in him. He watched as they passed and the soldiers ripped these families out of their homes, ordering theme to follow behind the line of soldiers, and all he felt was numb.

Through the village, the trail took them by the steps to the shrine. The shrine house at the top of the stairs had been burnt to the ground, nothing but a heap of charred wood now. The tori gate, once vibrant and red, had been completely covered in black soot. At the base of the stairs, the hut he still thought of as Kaede’s home, _Kagome’s_ home, had been brutally sacked. Though the main structure still stood, the door had been ripped away, and the window broken in. Inside, he could see that everything had been turned over and ruined, floorboards ripped up and beams missing from the walls. His gaze lingered on it in mild horror and heartbreak. A solider kicked at his back, forcing him to move on, across the rice paddies.

They brought him to the meadow. Inuyasha remembered this place as a wide, rolling field filled with tall grass that sang in the summers. Once it had been covered in iris flowers. This was the same place he’d spent a golden summer afternoon with Kagome, laying out in the sun while she braided the blossoms together. Now, the flowers had been trampled, the grass ripped up and pounded into the mud by hundreds of soldier’s uncaring feet. At the highest point of the meadow, where the land rose in a natural hill, the grass grew sparse, uncovering a wide slab of stone. Beyond the meadow, the land was likewise barren and patched with stone, as it stretched around the mountainside and up the rocky slope. There, standing on the high point, in view of the entire forced assembly in the meadow, Lord Masao was waiting for him, the Godstone Geode sitting at his feet. Captain Yorino stood at his side, flanked with the highest-ranking Samurai. The villagers were corralled into the meadow, held back at a safe distance by soldiers holding their muskets high and at the ready.

The crowd was forced to part as the soldiers escorting Inuyasha to his execution pushed through. A clear path opened up, leading to the stone summit, the place of execution. The drums still rippled through the air in a tense thunder, shaking through the ground, but in every other sense, the morning was quiet. It was peaceful, the sun just minutes away from cresting over the distant hills. The sky was stained with hues of red and orange, fading softer as they bled into the pale blue night. The gathered villagers were entirely silent, watching without so much as a whisper as their former protector was brought to his death. It felt like an eternity before Inuyasha walked up the hill and onto the stone. He stood before Lord Masao and his Captain, his face blank but his eyes still burning with an inextinguishable flame.

Yorino’s lip curled as he nodded to the soldiers holding Inuyasha, forcing their hanyou prisoner to his knees. The Captain looked even more repulsive in the faint morning light, the scales rising grotesquely from his skin taking on a sickly green hue. Inuyasha grunted as he was shoved down, snarling at the soldiers as they backed away. He did not fight. Did not attempt to escape his chains, even though there was no one holding him down. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at the line of Samurai flanking Masao and Yorino - they were all similarly disfigured. Yorino was by far the worst of all of them, but each seemed to be taking on unnatural features - beastly eyes, fangs, horns trying to break free from the skin on their foreheads. They looked no different than the demons they were so hellbent on eradicating. Inuyasha wasn’t exactly in a place to appreciate the irony at the moment.

The drums were still beating. Inuyasha realised in that moment that they were coming from beyond the hills and the plains, coming toward them from all directions. Over the far side of the village, he could just barely see a dark line of soldiers marching over the horizon. He was to be the first shot in a greater war. Masao was fully expecting the demons to come straight to the slaughter. With the cold iron biting into his wrists, Inuyasha clenched his fists and let out a harsh breath. His gaze lifted to the crowd, sweeping over their stunned faces until he stopped short at the back. Miroku and Sango stared back at him, their faces grim and resolute as their eyes met. Sango held the Hirakotsu on her back, her hands tight on the strap, while her husband stood tall at her side despite his injuries. They all understood.

This was it. For better or worse, this was it.

Inuyasha was calm. His heart did not race, and his hands did not tremble. There was no point. There was no room left in him now for fear.

Masao stepped up behind him. Inuyasha could feel the presence of him burning into his bones, his skin crawling at the proximity. Addressing the crowd, the Warlord spread his arms out wide, his voice booming across the meadow with impossible volume. “My people!” he began in his revolting bravado. Inuyasha was reminded all too closely of the way he’d called the commoners before; the day he slaughtered two armies, the day he invaded the village, the day he called for his death. Masao’s steel eyes raked over the villagers. “ _My_ good and loyal people. One year ago I first came to you, and out of the goodness of my heart, I vowed to look over this village. Just as I have vowed to protect this beautiful island and all its people, so too have I protected you. This village,” he gestured toward the distant ruins, the smouldering remains of what little was left, “was once my home. I was born in this place, a lowly vassal, like so many of you...”

Confused whispers rippled through the crowd. Masao silenced them with one motion, cutting his hand through the air to demand their full attention. “Look upon me now, and what I have become... the only Lord in our history to ever achieve such great feats. Not only have I unified the vast majority of the nation under my rule, but I have purified those lands of all evil! Soon enough, I will unite all of Japan, and cleanse the land of demons, eradicating them from our midst once and for all. I will bring...” he smiled, his eyes crazed and nearly seeming to glow with piercing white light, “a new era.”

All at once, the smile twisted into a scowl. “But, for all my efforts, there has been _one_ thing standing in my way all this time...” Lashing out, Masao grabbed Inuyasha by the hair and yanked him up, forcing his limp body to dangle from his merciless grip. Inuyasha grimaced, snarling up at the Lord. “ _This_... _creature_ ,” Masao spat, “has been building up a feeble army of his own, leading the Youkai in raids against my warriors. The same wretch that once tainted your streets, that defiled your village... last night _murdered_ Lady Kagome.”

Masao threw Inuyasha back to the ground. Unable to catch himself with his hands shackled behind his back, Inuyasha fell face-first against the rough stone. Masao did not spare a moment for him. “Lady Kagome was _tricked_ by this monster! She was seduced and deceived into helping him. I want to believe that her pure heart was taken advantage of...” he looked down on Inuyasha in disgust, “but she was naive and _foolish_ to trust this beast. I only wish that I could have saved her... but regardless, her death _will_ be avenged.”

Pulling the ivory pistol from the holster at his side, Masao held it high above his head. The barrel glinted with the promise of sunlight, not yet risen over the horizon. Sky was lit with gold and crimson, the fiery hues washing over the meadow. “At the first light of dawn!” Masao shouted. “My new era will begin!” With that declaration, Masao lowered the pistol inspecting it for a moment before taking the cord threaded through the lock. He motioned for another of his Samurai to step forward with a torch, where he lit the cord, the end glowing with faint embers as it was reaffixed to the lock. Masao inspected it one last time before passing it to the Captain. Yorino took it with a revolting grin and stepped forward, taking his Lord’s place behind the hanyou. He pressed the muzzle into the back of Inuyasha’s head. Inuyasha could feel the bite of the cool metal against the base of his skull.

“Call your forces, demon,” Masao hissed, just loud enough for the three of them to hear.

Inuyasha scoffed. Turning to glare at him from over his shoulder, he bared his teeth. “You go to hell,” he spat, “and you _pray_ that I’m not the one who finds you when you get there.”

Masao’s lips curled as he jerked his head to the Captain. Yorino slammed the side of the pistol against his skull. Inuyasha just barely kept from falling over, gritting his teeth against the pain splitting his head. The barrel pressed harder against his pounding head. Masao dropped to his knee in front of Inuyasha, once again pulling his hair back to force him to look back at him. The crazed look in the Warlord’s eyes was borderline desperate, manic energy seeping from his being.

“Call. Your. Forces,” Masao demanded. Inuyasha said nothing, his top lip pulled back over his teeth as he stared the Warlord down, struggling not to reveal his pain. It was at that moment that Masao smiled. He tilted his head, a predatory flash in his gaze as his grip on Inuyasha’s scalp tightened. “Oh, that’s it, isn’t it? You don’t believe they’ll come for you,” he sneered. “All those hoards following in your wake for blood, and you’re _still_ just the outcast half breed.”

With his hold on Inuyasha’s hair, Masao slammed his face down into the stone. Blood poured from his nose, his senses momentarily blinded as searing agony radiated from his face. Masao stood to his feet, his head whipping toward hills. When Inuyasha pushed himself upright, coughing and spitting blood onto the rock, he turned to the east. The blood-red sun was rising over the hills, just a sliver at first, as it climbed higher. The sky, the sunlight, and everything that it touched took on a pale red hue. No demon hoards appeared, no armies descending on the valley. No glorious victory. Not yet. The morning was still and peaceful.

Masao roared out in wild frustration. Spinning sharply on his heel, he turned to Captain Yorino and jerked his head toward Inuyasha.

In that moment, Inuyasha heard three things. His ears flicked with every sound, clear as crystal in the quiet dawn.

One; He heard Yorino’s chuckle, a vile sound as he pressed the muzzle of the pistol hard against the back of his head.

Two; The click of the musket lock being cocked back, Yorino’s finger hovering over the trigger.

And finally; the twang of a distant bowstring.

Inuyasha grinned.

An arrow flew just inches above his head, the wind so swift around it that his hair moved with the force. The sound of the arrowhead embedding into soft flesh was nearly mute over Yorino’s shrill scream. The pistol clattered to the ground, the embers burning at the edge of the cord dying out before they could hit the gunpowder. Ignoring the Captain’s pain, Inuyasha lifted his gaze to the forest’s edge, where a figure in red and white stood at the tree line.

It had been a year now since he’d seen her in daylight. Kagome lowered her bow, a vision as she stared across the meadow. Her stance was proud, head held high and eyes even with the scene at the summit of the hill. Every head in the crowd turned toward her, the Priestess they’d all feared was head, in silent awe as they walked out of the forest. From between the trees, shinidamachū curled out of the darkness and followed after her, their soft trills and the glow of their bodies ethereal as they danced around her.

Masao stepped forward slowly, beside Inuyasha now, entirely unheeding of both the hanyou chained on the ground and the Captian’s screaming. He watched Kagome’s methodic approach with a sort of manic wonder. Still, it was no less genuine, even Inuyasha could see that. Somehow, that made the Warlord’s smile and brightened eyes all the more unnerving.

“Lady Kagome,” he breathed, though still his voice carried down throughout the entire meadow. His hands were nearly trembling at his sides with emotion. “I am... _so_ incredibly relieved to see you alive and unharmed. I feared the worst when I’d heard...” Masao turned to glare down at Yorino, brought to his knees with his bloodied hand clutched to his chest, “what _you_ had told me, Captain. You lied to me.” He did not so much as flinch at the gruesome sight of the arrow shaft sticking straight though his palm. Yorino gazed up at the Warlord, struggling to plea for forgiveness but unable to so much as get a word out from the pain. Masao tilted his head. “No matter... you, as always, are _inconsequential_ , Yorino.”

Though Masao was quick to turn his back on his Right Hand, Inuyasha was more observant of the disgraced Captain as he stared back at Masao in horror.

“What matters is that you are _here,_ Lady Kagome. To witness this,” Masao smiled as he spread his arms out wide, over the frightened people and their burnt village, the flowers trampled in the meadow. “My ascension.”

As Kagome approached the crowd, they parted for her, stepping back out of her way to create one long, clean path up to Masao, his men, and their prisoner. Finally, she spoke for the first time, her voice firm and even, ringing out across the meadow and the early dawn. “No, Masao,” she said. “It’s over.”

Masao faultered. It was just a moment, a slight twitch in his expression, so small that no one in the crowd could have noticed it - but Inuyasha did. Within a moment, that same smile had returned, forced between his teeth. “I could not agree more... after today, it will all be over. I will have order at last.”

Kagome did not respond. Her pace slowed, the shinidamachū swirling gracefully around her. A few strayed closer to the crowd, drawing them back to allow her more space. Kagome came to a gradual stop in the middle of the gathering, halfway between the forest and the summit of the hill. For just a moment, her eyes met Inuyasha’s. Even he was awed by the assured intensity in her gaze, his heart rushing in his chest. She had the singular attention of every living being in that meadow. The distant cicadas even seemed to quiet their morning song, as they waited for the Priestess to speak.

“Listen to me...” she began, looking now to the villagers surrounding her. “It’s over. I am sorry, I never should have let it get this far.”

Masao frowned, his arms dropping back down to his sides. “I... very well, I accept your apology Lady Kagome, you could not have known that-”

“I am not _talking_ to you,” Kagome snapped, her head turning sharply toward him, a veritable growl in her voice. Masao went rigid, but Kagome paid him no mind. She went so far as to turn his back on him, facing the villagers, raising her voice to be heard across the crowded meadow. “Listen to me!” she shouted. “For the past year, we have allowed Masao and his men to take over our village, to destroy our homes, to dictate _our_ ways of life! We traded our freedom for safety,” Kagome looked across the crowd as she spoke, her gaze lingering on Miroku and Sango, watching her with the same veneration as the rest of the crowd. “I can’t regret that, but _it ends today_.”

Kagome took several steps forward, turning in a circle to call her pleas out to the villagers. “Please! You _know_ Inuyasha, he lived amoung you all for _years_ before I came. He saved your lives more times than any of you can count! You _have_ to see now that he was framed! You _know_ this is wrong!” she cried as she gestured to the bound hanyou. The sun was creeping over the hills now, its rays flooding down through the trees and out onto the meadow in golden patches. The light fell on her face, glowing on her skin. “Look around you! This is where fear has brought us!” Kagome turned toward Masao, unwavering as she faced him. “I am not afraid of you anymore,” she said.

Masao, for all his posturing, seemed genuinely robbed of breath at Kagome’s words. A handful of his head Samurai started forward, hands on their guns and swords to put an end to this woman’s speach. Masao raised a hand sharply to order them back. This matter was his alone. “So, it is true,” he spat. “You did betray me...”

“From the first,” Kagome replied without hesitation. “My love for Inuyasha has _always_ outweighed my fear of you.” She turned back to the crowd. “This man,” she pointed wildly up at Masao, who remained unmoved by her display, watching her with a near sick curiosity, “has done nothing but try to divide us from the moment he arrived, and we all allowed him to. And make no mistake about it, he was smart to. He divided us from our neighbours, our religions, our loved ones... all to make it easier for him to conquer us. Masao doesn’t _care_ about religion! He doesn’t care what you practice behind closed doors!” Kagome took several daring steps forward the foot of the hill, glaring up at the Warlord. “He only wants you to pray to the Gods because he wants that power for himself.”

“Enough!” Masao roared, the earth rumbling beneath their feet as his voice echoed off the mountain faces. Kagome did not so much as stumble in the wake of his rage. “Arrest her!”

The Samurai did not hesitate to carry out their orders, flooding down the hill to surround the Priestess. Several villagers shouted out in protest, trying to step out in her defence, but they were quickly beaten back. Two Samurai grabbed Kagome at either side, as she struggled to free herself from their iron grips. Inuyasha thrashed viciously against his bonds, baring his teeth at the men who dared touch her. “Kagome!” he yelled, the shout torn from his throat as Masao whirled on him and slammed his foot into the side of his head.

“I said _enough!”_ Masao screamed, the ground once again trembling with the force of his anger. Inuyasha grimaced, slowly picking himself up to glare at the Warlord, a trickle of blood running down from his hairline and over his eye. Masao snarled, facing the crowd and the Traitor Priestess. Whatever it was he was saying, shouting over the frightened crowd, Inuyasha couldn’t quite hear. Couldn’t bother to listen. The villagers in the meadow tried to shrink back in fear, but were unable to escape from the soldiers standing guard around them. Masao’s voice, ranting and fever-pitched, rose high above their heads. Inuyasha was not listening. His attention focused down to a single point - Kagome, slipping a small object down from her kimono sleeve and into the palm of her hand without her captor’s awareness. A thin cord dangled between her closed fingers. Inuyasha’s eyes raised to catch Kagome’s, finding they were already locked on him. She nodded resolutely.

“...your blindness and ignorance!” Masao’s voice came back into clarity. “Only I can save you all, do you not see that? Only I possess the power to clean this land and _finally_ put an end to thousands of years of strife! I can accomplish what even the _Gods_ have failed!”

“You should have listened to Kaede, Masao,” Kagome hissed, struggling against the Samurai holding her back. “You should never have meddled with the Gods.”

Masao snarled down at her, as whispers and fearful murmurs echoed throughout the crowd. “Kaede didn’t understand the power she wielded. _She_ betrayed _me_. And I was a fool to believe you would be different.”

Kagome lifted her chin in defiance. “Yes. You were.”

Something around Masao rippled. The sunlight seemed in that moment to pulse around his form. That same, unnaturally white light shined from his eyes. He took one step down off the stone and onto the hillside. The trampled flowers nearest his feet shot upright with every step, revived in an instant, onto to wither and dry up, crumbling to dust moments later. A trail of dead earth lined his path, though he only walked halfway down the hill. Just close enough that Inuyasha could see Kagome flinching back, as if his very presence burned her skin.

“Then I am a fool no longer,” he seethed, his shadow falling over her. “She was my friend.... _my_ friend, long before she was your teacher. I will be the one to continue her legacy. I do this in _her_ name.”

“Kaede _never_ wanted this!” Kagome shouted.

“Kaede is dead!” Masao bellowed, and once again, the entire valley trembled. He looked up over the crowd, eyes crazed and otherworldly. “The Godstone is mine, and mine alone. I will use it to finish what she had started! Do you not _see_ it?! I can be your God!”

And when that grand statement did not inspire the love and admiration he so desperately demanded, the flowers all around Masao died in a wide ripple, and the earth continued to quake.

 _“I am your God!”_ Masao proclaimed, voice reaching the clouds.

Standing there, breathing heavily, hair coming undone from its tie atop his head, Masao looked more Madman than Godlike, and the villagers knew it. Even his soldiers, those that had been forced into servitude and those who’d followed him loyally to the foot of this valley, all stared at him in growing apprehension. No honour, no veneration, no respect - and Masao could see it all slipping from his fingers. His mouth quivered in a hideous snarl, eyes flashing. “I am a _God_ ,” he repeated, more to himself than to his captive audience as he turned on his heel and stalked back up to the summit of the hill. The dead flowers now turning to ash under his feet, smoke rising in his footsteps until he climbed back to the stone slab. “I will have my purity, and you, Lady Kagome,” he hissed the name with a new hatred, “ _you_ will watch as this wretched hanyou becomes my first step toward that end.”

Masao stepped toward the pistol, lying forgotten on the ground.

Inuyasha watched Kagome. He did not take his eyes off of her for one second as they both realise it was quite literally now or never. Kagome yanked her arm free, pulling with all her strength to free herself from the Samurai’s hold. _“Inuyasha!_ ” she screamed, as she threw her arm out, and sent the glistening object in her hand flying up the hill toward him.

It was a risky wager. The crystal soared through the air, just grazing past Masao’s shoulder before the Warlord could react. Inuyasha drew on all of his strength and finally broke free of the chains binding his wrists. The iron shattered, clattering onto the stone in pieces, as Inuyasha’s hand came up to catch the Godstone crystal in his palm.

The moment it touched his skin, his body surged with its renewed energy. Inuyasha’s body pulsed a deep, glimmering crimson. His wounds healed in second, his full strength returning as an invisible wind whipped around him. The few Samurai left on the summit, along with their manic leader, were thrown back in one wave of pure energy, as the phantom of a great white dog appeared over Inuyasha, bearing its teeth with a resounding howl. Inuyasha rose to his feet.

The chaos broke out in an instant. The Samurai at the foot of the hill struggled to regain their hold on Kagome, dragging her back and away from Inuyasha out of terror. An uproar tore through the crowd, as the prepared villagers brought out their weapons in defence of their village and their Priestess. Miroku and Sango were the first to push through, quickly dispatching the Samurai to free Kagome. Sango threw a reverse kick at of the men’s neck, pinning him to the ground as he let out a strangled scream, and tore the familiar tessaiga off of his belt. Inuyasha leapt down from his would-be place of execution, taking his sword from his friend and unsheathing it at full form in the warm daylight.

The sun had finally crested over the trees. The clouds were painted with fiery hues and lined with gold, but the blue sky was quickly rising up. The distant drums that had been resounding down into the valley all morning now quickened their pace, armies approaching from as far as the eye could see.

Inuyasha shoved the sheath of the tessaiga back into its rightful place at his side, holding the fang in on hand as he turned toward the hill summit and wrapped his arm around Kagome’s waist. He pulled her closer to her side as they all watched Masao pick himself up. For just a moment Inuyasha and Kagome gazed at one another in the daylight, a thousand things unsaid. Kagome lifted her hand to his jaw, coaxing him down for a rushed and passionate kiss. As they parted, her hand slipped down rest over his heart, the other clinging tightly to her bow. Miroku and Sango stood by their sides.

As the villagers gathered behind them with their meagre farm tools wielded as weapons in their hands, Inuyasha lifted his head to address them without taking his eyes off of Masao for a second. “I won’t ask any of you to fight for me,” he called out. “But if you do, make it count. Otherwise, get those who can’t fight to safety. Any of you who no longer wish to serve Masao... this is your last chance.”

And it was, by Inuyasha’s last attempt at mercy or not. This was the zero hour. When Masao stood, he looked less like a man and more like an unhinged beast. In his hands, he held not the pistol, but the Godstone Geode itself. With an ear-splitting roar, he lifted it above his head. All at once, every single warrior under his command that possessed a Godstone dropped to their knees, screaming out in a discordant chorus of agony. Inuyasha’s Godstone, now hanging in its place around his neck, did not react. It did not belong to Masao anymore. The bodies of the Samurai began to glow, a searing white light torn out from their skin and drawn up to a single, swirling point about the Godstone. The Godstone itself began to glow as it drew in every last drop of power. From all directions, far past the horizon, more streams of pure white light shot into that one vortex.

The warriors began to change. Those unnatural characteristics they’d shown until now began to take over their entire bodies. A high ranking soldier with horns growing out of his head shifted, his bones cracking and rearranging until he became a horrid chimera of man and bull. Another, further across the meadow, shrieked until his voice turned to caws, the dark feathers overtaking his body as he transformed unto a tengu. All across the meadow, the Samurai took the features of the very Youkai they had used their Godstones to destroy.

Yorino, still at the very top of the hill, was no exception. His scales spread over his skin, drawing blood in their wake, as he screamed out. His face shifted, nose sinking into his skull, any human feature left fading to reveal the snake he truly was. In a fit of desperation, Yorino tore the Godstone shard off of his armour and smashed it to the ground, stopping the transformation though it did not reverse the changes. With his arrow-pierced hand clutched to his chest, Yorino scrambled for the forgotten pistol and slithered away out of sight.

The Godstone pulsed, its own living heartbeat growing faster and faster. The light shot down, engulfing Masao’s body until there was nothing left but the burning figure of a man, glowing brighter than the sun. The light shifted, growing taller and longer, the Godstone disappearing entirely until in one blinding flash it revealed the form of a great blue dragon loomed over them. The white dog bared its teeth at the creature, the enslaved spirit giving its own roar in reply. Like Inuyasha’s phantom, the dragon was an extension of Masao, standing in its feet, eyes closed. His body began to lift off the ground, centred in the chest of the dragon.

Inuyasha tensed as he watched the Warlord rise into the air. “I _really_ hope you’re not too rusty with that bow,” he said to Kagome.

Kagome’s eyes narrowed up at him. “You haven’t had a reason to complain about my aim yet,” she retorted. “Missed you too, by the way. Thanks for throwing me off the waterfall without warning.”

“I had a plan.”

“Might’ve been nice to let me in on it.”

“You might want to save the sweet nothings for another day,” Miroku interjected, posture stiff and grip on his staff tight.

High up in the air, Masao’s eyes snapped open, coming to an immediate focus on Inuyasha and Kagome. Even in spite of everything he’d done to mentally prepare himself for this moment, Inuyasha felt a piercing dread strike through him at the sight. He held Kagome tighter against his side. “Stay close to me,” he murmured.

The drums grew louder, as the first gunshots rang out across the meadow. The dragon rushed toward them.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey ;)

The dragon rushed toward them.

Inuyasha dashed out of the way, holding Kagome tightly against him as the impact of the dragon shook the ground. The phantom of the white dog vanished as he moved, the shinidamachū scattering along with it. The dragon attempted to curve toward him at the last minute, but still missed as its massive ethereal body collided with the earth. Miroku and Sango had dodged in the opposite direction, rolling out of the way with just enough clearance to keep them from going flying. Still, the impact was hard. Clouds of dirt and torn up grass rose up from the explosion, and from out of the haze, the furious maw of the blue dragon roared out after its prey. With his arm still holding Kagome tightly to his side, her arms around his neck, Inuyasha swiped the tessaiga in a wide arch to sever the creature’s neck - the blade went straight through it, and out the other end with the creature unfazed.

Inuyasha landed in a crouch shifting Kagome onto his back. The moment he felt her thighs tighten against his waist, her familiar weight settling against his spine, he brought both hands to the hilt of the tessaiga, and watched with a snarl as the dragon rounded towards them once again. They saw only the white glint of its eyes before it shot at them, mouth open, spectral fangs bared. Within its body, Masao mirrored its every movement - or rather the other way around. There was little human left in him, in the unnatural split of his mouth and the frenzied glaze over his eyes.

Leaping out of the way again before the creature could attack, Inuyasha soared high above the next cloud of debris kicked up by the beast. Even in spite of its phantom form, the dragon seemed corporeal enough to cause real damage. It writhed and shrieked from the ground, its head whipping wildly through the debris until its eyes locked on the two of them again. Still soaring back through the air, Inuyasha and Kagome watched as it reared up to attack again. Kagome drew an arrow from the quiver on her back, and with a graceful strength, notched the arrow, pulled back, and let it fire in a burst of vibrant light toward the dragon’s head.

Just like the sword had moments ago, the arrow flew straight through the dragon’s body. The pink light that surrounded Kagome’s arrow burst into a blinding white, shifting into blue before being consumed by the dragon’s form. Its eyes flashed brighter, as it lunged for them again. Inuyasha tightened his hands around the hilt of his sword, gritting his teeth as he braced himself to land and fight back the dragon all at once. His feet skidded onto the ground, leaving two trails of torn-up grass in his wake. Tensing to prepare for the attack, Inuyasha had been twisting his body into a swing, when the hiraikotsu came spinning through the air. The boomerang cut through the dragon’s long neck, harmlessly shifting through its image.

Masao turned toward the source of the attack in a fit of rage, where Inuyasha looked as well to see Sango still poised in her throwing stance. The dragon’s body shifted, coiling as if to strike, but did not get the chance before the hiraikotsu came back around. The bone was covered in violet flames, coming down low enough to target Masao’s body within the dragon instead this time. Just moments before the boomerang struck, Masao turned, and the dragon’s tail swept up to bat it away. The hiraikotsu crashed back down into the earth, stuck upright in the dirt. The moment Masao tried to single in on Sango again, Inuyasha deposited Kagome on the ground and leapt up, sword drawn high over his head and glistening with shards of diamond. The adamant barrage burst from the blade, hundreds of diamond spears soaring toward Masao.

They hit. Those that shot through the body of the dragon did so without effect, but Masao’s body was struck through by half a dozen shards. He did not flinch, hardly budged an inch as they sank through his flesh. Inuyasha flipped over in mid air, high up above the dragon’s head, and watched as Masao pulled one of the shards from where it had impaled the centre of his chest. There was no blood, not even a drop as the diamond shrapnel crumbled away into sparkling dust in Masao’s hand. The hole in his chest mended, as every other piece still embedded in his body disappeared just the same.

If there was one thing Inuyasha was certain of now it was this; whatever Masao was now, he was no longer human.

When Inuyasha landed, he found himself on the stone summit of the hill, his would-be spot of execution, with Masao rushing toward him, eyes now glowing the same piercing white as the dragon’s. He gritted his teeth, braced himself, sword held strong in front of his body as Masao’s power crashed into him head on. The Warlord drew the katana from his side as he came flying down, and lashed out wildly at Inuyasha with a guttural roar. The moment the swords hit, the phantom dog reappeared around Inuyasha in a burst of crimson light, baring its fangs at the opposing dragon. The reverb of the blades meeting struck through Inuyasha’s bones, vibrating up his arms and into his core as he fought to keep his stance. Any mortal’s blade would have shattered immediately on impact with the tessaiga. Masao’s seemingly ordinary katana did not so much as crack, giving off the same haunting blue glow as the dragon still surrounding his body.

As Inuyasha and Masao pushed back against each other, Masao hovering just a foot off the ground as he bore down on Inuyasha, the mirages of their respective beasts did the same. Inuyasha had the upper hand in strength, and with a roar, managed to shove Masao back, but it did not last. As Masao came swinging at him again, Inuyasha countered, knocking Masao’s weapon off course before coming back with an attack of his own. Each time their swords collided, the phantoms did the same, lashing out with fang and claw and deafening roars across the valley. As Inuyasha slashed down, the phantom dog sank its teeth into the dragon’s neck. As Masao parried and followed through with a sharp jab, narrowly missing Inuyasha’s heart, the dragon mirrored him with a savage swipe of its claws at the dog’s chest.

Masao was not letting up. Not for a moment. Inuyasha struggled to release any greater power at this close range and narrowed his focus down to this deadly dance with the Warlord. The sun was rising higher and higher above the mountains, chasing away the long shadows cast by hill and forest and summit, and with it came the full scope of the destruction Masao was reaping. Still, as the sunlight glared in his eyes, Inuyasha could not tear his attention away from Masao. The self-proclaimed God was growing more and more deranged as this fight went on, more frenzied as he attacked with growing strength. Inuyasha had no issue in keeping up, but it was not a fight like any he’d had in a long time. He’d known this going into it. Masao was not an ancient beast lying in dormancy, nor an all-powerful demon come to challenge him. He was not a corrupted sorcerer, nor a restfulness spirit.

Masao was not Naraku. He did not create demons from himself to send out and do his dirty work, did not hatch plans for constant attacks, did not wreak chaos simply for the sake of it. Masao was a strategist, not a trickster. He moved armies and allocated resources to build his empire. Oh, they were alike in some of their ways - in their power, their dominion over their followers, but in every other manner they were dissimilar. Naraku hadn’t fought like Masao did. In the years since, Inuyasha had begun to understand that Naraku’s schemes were fuelled by fear. He’d known that they were coming for him and getting stronger by the day. He’d done everything in his power to stall his own demise. Masao wasn’t like that. His desires were much more grounded in human greed. He conquered and he ruled, something Naraku never had an interest in. Masao had been motivated by his own crazed need for perfection, and it had blinded him to his true opponents until the last moment.

In the end, the comparison was this; a human whose avarice lead him to demonic possession, versus a human whose ambition lead him to godhood. And they’d both gone mad at the first taste of power.

Masao was unlike any human Inuyasha had faced. His mouth, grinning and snarling as he laid into Inuyasha, had split into an unnatural maw, his eyes impossibly wide, face so pale the blood scarcely had any place in his body. His hair had gone wild, tendrils falling in his eyes, flowing and twisting in the energy of the dragon surrounding him. Still, he was unschooled in his attacks, so hellbent on killing Inuyasha that his movements grew sloppy. Inuyasha began to use it to his advantage, the irony in his own growth not lost on him as he used Masao’s anger against him. For every three strikes Masao tried to land, Inuyasha struck back with only one, stronger and more precise. He managed at last a few times to land a hit - not a lethal hit, but a hit just the same. Every time, the wound healed over, and Masao barely reacted.

But, every time, the wound took a moment longer to vanish. So, he had a finite amount of energy. Inuyasha could work with that. The moment Inuyasha saw the last cut, a deep slash through Masao’s left side, stitching itself together with a slower pace, he smirked, pushing all of his weight against Masao’s sword with a roar. He shifted his grip on tessaiga’s hilt, dipping one shoulder down before drawing up. The fang carved into Masao’s chest, nearly slicing him in half. High on the small victory, Inuyasha continued with the momentum, sword still held over his head, as he prepared to bring it down.

He was reminded of his own overconfidence when Masao’s katana grazed his shoulder, cutting him from collar bone to the centre of his torso. It was a shallow wound, but enough to cause him to stumble. The pain throbbed through his torn flesh, but Masao seemed unperturbed by his quartered body The Warlord pushed forward, preparing another blow - and was unable to follow through before a glistening pink arrow embedded itself through his neck. Masao stopped, sword halting mid-arch, eyes wide. Slowly, he rounded toward the direction. The arrow was still lodged in his neck as he stared back at Kagome.

Inuyasha watched her from over his shoulder, standing across the meadow with her bow still drawn. Miroku and Sango stood beside her, the three of them standing back-to-back as they took on rogue soldiers fighting in the chaos. As Kagome prepared another arrow, her attention was drawn away from Masao, though it wasn’t without a piercing glare, and to a soldier who had been attempting to line up a shot at Miroku. Sango shielded her from a samurai’s attempted attack with her recovered hiraikotsu, pushing back the man’s sword. Under her cover, Kagome swept low, aimed her arrow, and fired it at the soldier, hitting his calve before he could shoot the Monk. Even in the middle of battle, surrounded by death, she could not seem to bring herself to take the killing shot.

Masao reached up to the arrow in his neck and pulled it through with a sickening squelch, momentarily choking as he drew the arrow out of his throat from the other end. Kagome looked back at him, and even at that distance Inuyasha could see her go pale. The arrow was still glowing, covered in her shimmering rose energy, and as Masao held it in his hand, the light grew momentarily brighter. It seeped through his hand, absorbing into his body. Masao’s eyes flashed with the same hue. As Kagome quickly drew another arrow, Masao tensed to focus an attack on her.

Inuyasha had to think quick. He swept his leg out while Masao was distracted in an attempt to knock him off his feet. It succeeded... though not how he was hoping. Masao did not so much fall over as get swept up, suspended in the blue light of the dragon once again. Still, it was enough of a distraction for Inuyasha to jump back, his own immaterial guardian spirit mirroring him with a snarl. The tessaiga’s blade turned pitch black, a void of distant stars and nebula. With a hard swing, Inuyasha unleashed a barrage of crescent meidos, all whipping their way toward Masao.

The meidos could not cut through him though - they stalled in mid air around him, caught in the opposing energy of the dragon. Masao was held in place, temporarily trapped in the gravitational pull of a dozen different portals. Not what Inuyasha had been expecting, but he would take the moment of opportunity while he could. The moment he landed on his feet again, he pushed off, dashing across the meadow back to Kagome, Sango, and Miroku. A ring of soldiers was beginning to descend around them, as the fight began spilling over across the empty field. Inuyasha propelled himself over their heads, flipping over and lashing out with his claws rather than his sword to avoid hitting anyone else. The soldiers staggered back with blood-curdling creams as they were sliced through, falling to the ground. Inuyasha took no pleasure in killing humans, but he had more than learned at this point that he was left with little other choice.

Landing on his feet in a crouch, Inuyasha held his sword out in front of him as he rose up in a defensive stance, shifting in front of Kagome. The phantom dog gave a loud growl above their heads, sending any assailant who dared get too close running back in fear. There would be more, though - there would always be more.

Pressing her side against Inuyasha’s as he joined their tight circle, Kagome looked back at him over her shoulder. “Stay close, huh?” she teased, out of breath but still standing strong.

“Shut up,” he retorted. Twenty feet away, three soldiers had lifted their muskets to take a shot. The moment Inuyasha looked at them, the phantom dog unleashed snarl, its paw lashing out to swipe them off their feet. Inuyasha took the opportunity to cut down a brazen samurai, half transformed into a unrecognizable creature with horns protruding from his head, coming toward them with his sword drawn. With his back turned to an oncoming soldier on horseback, Kagome stepped around him and shot the man in the shoulder. The horse cried out, rising up on its hind legs and knocking the wounded soldier off before running away out of danger.

And it was the same scene that stretched across this newly blood-christened battlefield. Mayhem had descended on this once peaceful meadow, spilling down into the village, through the meadow and into the hills. Every soldier in Masao’s standing army had either dropped their weapons and ran out of fear or began fighting back, as the villagers took up arms to reclaim their occupied home. Even with those soldiers that fled, there were more than enough to make it an even fight - and more were coming. The drums were still distant, but they were coming closer, and Inuyasha knew that Masao would have called every stronghold he had left. The frustrating part of it all was that Inuyasha knew he had the power to deal with those hoards on his own, sweeping through them without mercy. He could do it - but he _couldn’t_. There were too many innocent men and women in between, the fray was scattered with no clear lines. He couldn’t unleash a windscar without killing them too.

Inuyasha’s ears twitched to the bell-like tones of Miroku’s staff as he disarmed a soldier, one of the many who’d abandoned their muskets in favour of hand-weapons. He worked in tandem with Sango, as she used the hiraikotsu to shield them from bullets and take out attackers before they could come close. The sounds were discordant - the twang of a bowstring as Kagome fired another arrow, the solid impact of the boomerang hitting a man’s armour, all around the screams and shouts and gunpowder exploding.

Miroku grunted as he shoved the unconscious body of the soldier away after he’d beaten him over the back of the head with his staff. “Inuyasha,” he panted. “How long will that hold Masao?”

Inuyasha looked back to where he’d trapped the Warlord in between the meidos, the man screaming in pain as the dragon’s body twisted and writhed around him. Already, he could see the black crescents begin to weaken. “Not much longer,” he replied. Wrapping an arm around Kagome, he spun her around, out of the way of an enemy arrow as he sliced it in the air. The scent of smoke drifted in on the wind. Homes were being set on fire in the village, thick plumes of smoke revolting against the soft peach dawn. “Miroku, Sango,” he called out. “You go help in the village.”

Catching the hiraikotsu as it came spinning back to her, Sango looked back at him. “But Masao-”

“They need your help more,” Inuyasha cut her off. “Nothing we’ve tried has worked so far. You’re better off fighting there until I come up with something.”

“And what would that be?” Sango asked as she swung the boomerang over her head and released it into a crowd of soldiers.

Inuyasha shifted to cover her back, cutting down a sword-wielding soldier. He was the last for a good while, the others all focused on other outbreaks of fighting. Inuyasha barely looked at the man as he fell, shouting back to Sango over his shoulder. “I don’t know! Something!”

The white dog snarled once more, echoing through the meadow as it focused back on the writhing dragon. The meidos were fading away. They didn’t have much more time. Sango and Miroku shared a look, all four of them taking one more moment to acknowledge each other. Miroku touched Inuyasha’s shoulder, nodding to Kagome. With no more time for arguing, the two of them made a break for the village, cutting through the battlefield. Inuyasha and Kagome were left in the epicentre of a dead and wounded soldiers lying in the crimson-stained grass. Kagome’s breath hitched as he surveyed the damage, and Inuyasha was quick to pull her head in against his shoulder to block out the violence. They had a moment of stillness- just a moment, one that wouldn’t last, but was no less needed.

“Kagome,” Inuyasha began carefully.

“No,” she interrupted before he could continue. She took a deep breath, pulling her head back to look him in the eye, resolve strengthened. “I’m not going anywhere, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha felt everything in him screaming to send her off, to do whatever necessary to protect her, but he knew the truth - he’d be just as anxious about her safety if she were out of sight. Though reluctant, he nodded. There was no time to send her away, in any case. The meidos finally vanished in a flicker, and Masao was freed, the dragon twisting its massive body to narrow in on them. The white phantom howled. Inuyasha lowered himself down on his knee and Kagome climbed on, already stringing an arrow to her bowstring. It wouldn’t kill him, they’d discovered that much already - but it was better than nothing. They needed to take what they could get. As the dragon rushed towards them once again, they met it head on.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The village was scarcely recognizable by the time Miroku and Sango arrived. It had been largely abandoned, with most villagers having taken shelter in their home the night before, but those that hadn’t been able to get away and had been forced to witness Inuyasha’s near-execution were left to fend for themselves amoung the chaos. Some were trying to take cover between buildings, cowering in their huts, trying to gather what little valuables they owned before their homes were sacked. There was little left of it all now, houses reduced to timber and ash, broken pottery left in the streets, blood running in the puddles of last night’s rain. Those that had come with the two of them were trying to fight back, to protect the village, but there wasn’t much left to protect at this point.

The structures that were left, if nothing else, were good for cover. Miroku and Sango pressed their backs up against the standing wall of collapsed house as a round of muskets went off, the deafening explosion echoing off the ruins of the village. There was very little organization to Masao’s men at this point. With the Generals transformed into hideous creatures, and their Warlord in a frenzy, they were left to assemble themselves into half-formed ranks. Many had abandoned order all together and were focused only on preserving their own lives. Others were still clinging onto the formations they’d been taught.

As they took a moment to breath and protect themselves from the gunfire, Sango looked to her husband. Like her, his back was pressed against the wood, but she could see clearly how much pain it was causing him, the not-yet healed whip scars still tender as the wood dug into them through his robes. Sango pressed her head back against the wall, tilting it up toward the sky as she caught her breath. “Are you still with me, Monk?” she asked, the familiar old nickname rolling off her tongue with a breathless smile.

Miroku looked back at her, and though it was exhausted, the smile was mirrored on his face. “Nowhere I’d rather be, my love,” he replied. The sound of half a dozen muskets musket locks clicking into place resounded through the village. Miroku lunged for Sango, pulling the both of them down as the wall they had been using to take cover burst with a spray of bullets and wood debris. Sango brought the hiriakotsu up to shield them from the blast. “On second thought,” Miroku murmured. She caught him for just a moment, staring down at the palm of his right hand.

Sango reached out and grabbed onto his wrist, forcing him to look her in the eyes. The intensity in her gaze was enough to make him pause. “Don’t,” she said, knowing the turbulent thoughts in his mind without words. Her meaning was clear; _do not wish for a moment you had the wind tunnel again._ She gently squeezed his wrist, searching his eyes until she found the understanding there. Miroku exhaled slowly and nodded. “Go,” Sango jerked her head toward the lane beyond the decrepit house. “I’ll cover you.”

Miroku nodded, and dashed out with Sango following close behind. She held up the hiraikotsu at her side, using it to shield them both from any oncoming attack. As they dashed between two buildings in a narrow side road, Miroku came upon a soldier with a mase drawn high above his head. He quickly intercepted it with his staff, the chain wrapping around it. Before the soldier had the chance to pull back, Miroku yanked his staff down to disarm him. He swept the staff up, smashing his head against the wall. The soldier dropped to the ground. Without pausing the two of them continued out between the houses and onto the street - where another line of soldiers in rank were loading their weapons to fire at a group of feeling villagers.

“Miroku, down!” Sango shouted, already winding back with the boomerang. The moment he dropped down, without hesitation, she released, sending the hiraikotsu flying into the line. Their muskets misfired, as the loose black powder was disturbed and touched their burning matches. Sango threw herself down to the ground beside Miroku before any stray bullets could hit her. In the confusion, the hiraikotsu was left to spin over their heads, crashing into the building behind them. Sango pushed herself up on her elbows beside her husband, watching as a few of the soldiers still standing began to advance on them in fury. Miroku threw his arm around her, trying to pull her up to her feet and shield her at the same time.

The soldiers never got that close. A feline roar erupted overhead, a shadow passing over them from above before either of them had the time to comprehend what was happening. The soldiers staggered back in fear, unable to react as a chain wrapped sickle flew down and made clean cuts through each other of their chests. Kohaku landed in a crouch between Miroku and Sango and the soldiers, pulling back hard on his sickle. The chain wrapped around their weapons, disarming them with ease. One enraged soldier tried desperately to attack with his fists, but Kohaku jumped up and kicked him in the side of the head, sending him to the ground unmoving. The rest were chased off as Kirara, fully transformed in her beast state, landed in front of them and let out another ear-splitting roar.

As soon as the initial shock wore off, Sango was scrambling to her feet and rushing toward her little brother. “Kohaku!” she cried, pulling him into her arms. She held him tight before holding him at arm’s length. “What are you doing here? How did you know?”

“The entire province is in an uproar,” Kohaku replied. “Probably more. Lord Masao ordered all of his armies here yesterday.”

Miroku’s hand tightened around his staff as he joined them, a grave shadow darkening over his face. “So, more _are_ coming.”

“Yes, but...” Kohaku stopped, looking back over his shoulder at the direction he’d first come in. Kirara did the same.

Sango frowned. “But what?”

“I saw it as we were flying in,” Kohaku said. “Reinforcements.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The first priority was to get Masao away from the village, and away from the central battlefield. Inuyasha and Kagome lead the fight far out beyond the meadow, and into the surrounding hills where they slopped up toward the mountain. It wasn’t a difficult task by far. Inuyasha was leagues faster than Masao, even with the dragon’s power, but the point was to keep him engaged without outrunning him. It became a game of cat and mouse, the two of them leading him away, but always staying just barely out of reach. Steadfast on Inuyasha’s back, Kagome twisted around to fire arrows at Masao behind them. Each one was either deflected or taken without batting an eye, the pink energy absorbed as if it were nothing. The arrows could very well be making him more powerful - but it was a strategic price to pay to keep Masao’s attention focused solely on the two of them, managing at the same time to slow him down just enough each time for Inuyasha to get ahead.

But Kagome didn’t have an inexhaustible supply of arrows. They had to make a stand. The moment the dragon let out a roar of earth shattering frustration and pushed ahead of them finally, she knew that this would have to be where they made it. They’d stopped on the mountainside, high up over the fires and the bloodshed. The impact of Masao landing in front of then nearly sent Kagome falling off of his back, but Inuyasha steadied a hand behind him to keep her close.

And the battle went on - for ages it felt like, though Kagome knew it hadn’t been nearly so long. The sun was climbing higher into the sky, just barely rising toward its zenith. The heat had come along with it as the shadows grew shorter, the cool morning chased away by the blinding sun. The sky was all-too clear, too bright. It would have been a beautiful day, and that fact alone made all this horror feel so painfully out of place.

Kagome clung to Inuyasha’s shoulders as he leapt out of the way of a swipe of Masao’s sword. The dragon and the dog continued to battle it out over their heads, a reflection of every evasion and attack. One hand still gripping tightly to her bow, Kagome drew an arrow from her quiver and prepared it, waiting for the opportune moment as they came falling back down through the air to shoot. She aimed for Masao’s hand, hoping to at least get him to release his hold on his sword, but Masao cut it down before it could hit. Still, it served as a distraction enough for Inuyasha to release a windscar, the energy racing from the blade of the tessaiga and clawing across the mountainside. The echoing boom of trees falling down the rock face thundered through the valley below.

Masao roared out, the dragon momentarily disappearing amoung the golden light. The moment the windscar faded, the dragon reappeared, unaffected but all the more enraged, as it raced back toward him. Inuyasha quickly landed, depositing Kagome on the ground before jumping up to meet the dragon head on. Kagome’s world turned over as she fell to the ground, catching herself on her hand and elbow, and looking up just in time to see the explosion of the two opposing energies colliding. As they came falling back toward the earth with the speed of warring comets, Kagome dashed for the trees, ducking down in the cover of the forest as dust and dirt burst on impact. When she looked out, Inuyasha and Masao were in a stalemate, their blades locked as they pushed back at one another.

From the shadow of the forest, Kagome watched as Masao’s eyes, still glowing their unnatural white, flickered down toward Inuyasha’s chest. He bared his teeth, giving one final push to knock Inuyasha back before letting go of his sword with one hand and reaching out. Masao’s fingers grazed against the crimson crystal tied in the cord around Inuyasha’s neck. Inuyasha howled. Above them, the dog did the same, their voices, human and inhuman, were an awful, dissonant screech. The red light surrounding Inuyasha grew brighter and flickered, as if trying to fight off Masao’s influence.

Kagome didn’t give it a second thought before she bolted out from behind the trees. With all her strength, she threw herself at Masao, letting out her own furious shout as she shoved him away. It was enough to relinquish Masao’s hold on Inuyasha, but now within reach of Masao, his rage turned toward her, his head whipping around in her direction. His eyes had hardly landed on her before Inuyasha was pulling her behind him, growling back at Masao in challenge.

Masao released a deafening shout, the dragon rising high above them and taking him along with it, still centred in the heart of its spectral body. As it lifting higher and higher in the air above, them a blinding white ball of energy in the dragon’s mouth grew until it rivalled the strength of the sun. Kagome had to shield her eyes from its light - but in front of her, she could hear the unfazed smirk in Inuyasha’s voice. “Finally,” he said.

She did not have the chance to question him before he leapt up into the air. The dragon released the energy, sending it shooting toward Inuyasha. The silhouette of his body eclipsed the beam of devastating energy. Inuyasha lifted the tessaiga above his head, a corporeal wind swirling around the blade. Just moments before the energy would have struck him down, Inuyasha sent it straight back at Masao in a backlash wave, his own power returned tenfold at him. If Masao shouted, his own voice was overpowered by the bellow of the dragon as it was blown back. The dragon crashed further up the mountain face, landing straight into the fortress above the village. The column of smoke and ash that rose up from the impact alone told that there would be nothing left of it - the village certainly would not miss it.

Inuyasha landed next to her again. The two of them watched, breathes held, as the plume above the fortress grew. A momentarily stillness fell over them as they watched. They waited. And sure enough, the faint blue glow flickered to light again, as it slowly picked itself out from the ruins of the fortress. Though it hadn’t been enough to kill him, it had at least, finally, dealt a good deal of damage. Still, Kagome couldn’t help the soul-aching disappointment as she gazed between the titan clawing its way out of the wreckage and the desolation in the valley below. She was exhausted already. Her body ached, her lungs burned, and the mental toll to add to it all was beginning to weigh too heavily on her shoulders. Her shoulders slumped, and heartbroken sigh rattled from her chest. “There’s no end to it,” she whispered.

That is when she saw it - Inuyasha’s ears twitched. She saw him tense, his entire body going on alert as his head snapped toward the northwest. His gaze scanned the forest, far beyond the horizon’s edge, beyond what they could see even at that height. “Wait,” he murmured as he stepped up to her side. “I think...”

A massive form broke over the horizon, flying toward them with incredible speed. It grew larger and larger as it approached. On instinct, Inuyasha threw his arm around Kagome, pulling her tight against his side, hand tightening around the hilt of his sword. However, when he finally saw who it was, his hold become one of comfort rather than protection, although he did not release any tension from his body. From the mountain, they watched as a large white dog touched down in the centre of the meadow, baying loudly at the sky. As it lifted its head, the markings on its fur, the red streaks and violet crescent moon, became visible. The fighting below momentarily paused, every human looking on at the beast in shared horror. As its voice rumbled through the valley, an answering cry echoed back - a dark haze rose over the forest, expanding into a horde of flying demons. What could have been mistaken for its shadow on the ground over the distant planes soon grew in tandem, as a legion of demons following on foot spilled down toward the battle.

Kagome felt the fear grip her heart with a physical, jolting pain. Her first reaction, anyone’s first reaction, would have been terror. But all it lasted was a second. When she looked back at Inuyasha, though it was faint at the corner of his lips - he was smiling. There was pride in the lift of his chin as he watched the demon armies come to their aid. On the opposite horizon, Masao’s own troops were close to approaching, an untold number of humans under his command for this final stand.

“They came,” Inuyasha breathed, as if he couldn’t believe the words coming from his own mouth.

Kagome tore her gaze away from the hellish sigh, saw how much hope it had restored in Inuyasha, and felt it doing the same in her. A breeze drifted through the valley, and for a moment, she could breathe without the assault of smoke and blood in her nostrils. The sun was soft on Inuyasha’s face. She hadn’t realised just how long it had been since she’d seen him in daylight, the gold of his eyes iridescent.

Further up the mountain, the dragon’s roar drew their attention back to the battle at hand. There would be an end to this.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Shippo had to hold on by fistfuls of fur, ducking his head down against the wind as he rode on Sesshomaru’s back. The wind alone was nearly enough to choke the wind from his lungs at the speed they were travelling. Beside him, Rin held on just as tightly, but seemed a thousand times more at ease, riding on the familiar back of her former caretaker. Takuya, behind the two of them, was no so relaxed. Evidently, having ridden on the back of a large dog demon to get to their Mountain Hideaway hadn’t been experience enough to get the old priest used to it. The kitsune, for his part, had been shocked enough that Sesshomaru had allowed Shippo to come with them (especially given what had happened the last time, which had mostly involved a lot of screaming). Still, with the demon horde following close behind, there was no time to lose. Quite literally - dawn had long since broken by then, and Shippo feared they may have arrived too late to stop Inuyasha’s execution.

By the time he finally peaked up, as Sesshomaru began to descend toward the village he’d once considered his home, it was difficult to imagine that they had made it on time. His heart dropped into the acidic pit of his stomach the moment he saw the plumes of smoke, the scent slamming into him on the harsh wind. More of Masao’s armies had already begun descending on the valley, thunderous gunfire ringing out against the mountain face. He almost believed, just for a moment, that Sesshomaru had brought them to the wrong village. That he’d mistaken some other tragic scene for the quiet countryside he’d known.

Shippo had never been so tempted to revert to his smaller form again, to burrow down somewhere and close his eyes until it was all over - but, as he reminded himself, this was far from the first battle he’d seen, a thought that left a bitter taste on his tongue and was even more difficult to swallow. This was just another, he told himself. And hopefully the last he saw for a long, long time.

Sesshomaru touched down. Even from their place on top of him, they could feel the tremble through the earth as his enormous form landed. Fear rippled through the battlefield, enemies all alike in their instantaneous horror at the creature that had seemingly crashed down from either heaven or hell into the middle of their war. As Sesshomaru lifted his head in a deafening howl, his form shifted and glowed, a cyclone of wind lifting up around his body. Shippo scrambled for purchase as the body began to fall away, leaving both him and Takuya to gradually slip off and fall to the ground behind the great demon. When the light and the wind all faded, Rin was holding onto the fur hanging off Sesshomaru’s armour, harmlessly lowered to the ground.

Sesshomaru drew the bakusaiga from its sheath, and with one devastating swipe, unleashed a warning to anyone who dared to come closer, a wave of crackling energy decimating any soldier within its range. Shippo recovered from the fall beside Takuya, shaking his head to clear the disorientation before looking over at the priest to make sure he was alright. Takuya was already rising to his feet, offering a hand to the boy to help him up as well. Shippo took Takuya’s help, but released his hand in favour bringing his own trembling fingers to the small dagger at his side. His eyes frantically scanned the battlefield, what he could see beyond Sesshomaru’s tall figure, in search of any sign of Inuyasha, Kagome, or any of his friends. He saw no one.

“Shippo,” Sesshomaru’s voice cut through his rising panic, stern and sharp enough to draw the kitsune’s full attention. He didn’t even think Sesshomaru knew his name, let alone if he would ever acknowledge him. Ill-formed creatures in samurai’s armour, the transformed ranks of Masao’s generals, were the only ones brazen or foolish enough to approach Sesshomaru at this point. Sesshomaru slashed the Bakusaiga at an oncoming beast, its face half melted off its skull. Back still turned to Shippo, Sesshomaru merely raised his head to address him. “Take Rin to safety.”

Rin clung tighter to Sesshomaru’s fur, her breath hitching in rising distress. “But-!”

“Now,” Sesshomaru snapped.

Takuya placed his hand on Rin’s shoulder, gently trying to pry her away from the Demon Lord. “Go with him, Rin. Miroku and Sango’s home should still be safe. I’ll be needed in the village.”

Rin looked frantically between Takuya, Shippo, and Sesshomaru. It was only when Sesshomaru spared a glance down at her, face stoic yet eyes piercing, that she reluctantly let go. Takuya gave her shoulder a sqeeze, but as more of Masao’s men began to advance on them, was quick to push her toward Shippo. Sesshomaru shifted to cover their escape, bringing his sword up at eye level. Shippo saw the reflection of his eyes in the shining surface of the blade, narrowing back at him. “Go.”

The monsters, what was left of Masao’s closest followers, were attempting to crowd Sesshomaru. As Sesshomaru lashed out with the bakusaiga again, the intense light nearly swallowed him whole along with the newly formed demons. He had no mercy for the mindless things. As Rin stared in terror at Sesshomaru’s silhouette, Shippo grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the forest’s edge. “Come on!” he cried.

It took some pulling, but he finally managed to get her to follow willingly. Leaving the dismal scene behind, Shippo and Rin dashed across the meadow. There were few on the battlefield who paid any attention to the two children running for their lives, few who bothered to attack. As they ran, a soldier on horseback fell in front of them, screaming out in agony. Shippo skidded to a stop, pulling Rin back with him as the horse kicked and nearly trampled them. Gaze darting around, he found a shorter distance to the forest, and yanked Rin in that direction. They raced into the trees, the shadow of the thick forest blocking out the sun and its unforgiving mid-day heat.

The sound of the battle was muffled here. The trees were a barrier, the clangs of swords and cracks of gunfire all echoing out and dying out into a distant hum in the sea of green. Scattered amoung the foliage, some soldiers and villagers still fought. Though it was more difficult to fight in the forest on uneven terrain, it seemed that there was nowhere the battle hadn’t boiled over. Shippo tried to lead the way, avoiding these dispersed brawls. All the while, Rin clung tightly to his hand, constantly looking back the way they had come in search of danger they hadn’t seen.

Shippo heard screaming up ahead, followed by a dozen popping sounds, and more shouted orders. Footsteps clamoured toward them from somewhere off in the trees. He stopped, nearly tripping Rin. Not far from them was a hollow beneath the overgrown root of a tree, a small space hidden half underground. “Over here,” Shippo panted. They took off running again, nearly sliding down in the damp dirt as they scrambled for shelter. They crawled inside the hollow, pressing their backs against the earth wall, just as the footsteps thundered closer. Shippo held his arm out, keeping Rin back and hidden, as he peered out to see the feet of a group of soldiers running by. Only when they’d passed did Shippo let out a long breath.

“We’ll be safe here for a minute,” he panted as he dropped his arm and sat back.

Rin nodded, drawing her knees up to her chest. She wrapped an arm around herself, the other reaching down to drag her finger through the dirt in aimless shapes. “Do you think Inuyasha and Kagome are okay?” she asked quietly after a long silence.

Shippo did his best to hide his own fear. “Yeah, ‘course.”

Finger still tracing in the earth, Rin sniffed. “And Miroku and Sango?” she continued, voice thick. “And the babies?”

“I-I mean...” Shippo stuttered. “I’m sure they are.”

Rin stopped her fidgeting. She swiped her hand through the patterns she’d made in the dirt, hugging her arm around her and pressing her face into her knees. “I hate this,” she choked. “I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

Stunned for a second by Rin’s emotions, Shippo nodded and leaned further back against the wall. That was a sentiment they both seemed to share. “Yeah, me too…” he muttered. A profound silence fell between them. In the far distance, the battle continued to rage on, broken up by rumbling canon blasts. Here though, in the thick of the forest, sunlight was still filtering through the green leaves overhead. The wind through the trees was a soft noise, nearly downing out the sounds of war. Shippo looked back at Rin. “Uh, what you said back at the mountain…” he started, bringing his hand up to the back of his neck. “You were really brave, standing up to all those demons. For a human, I mean.”

In spite of everything, Rin laughed. Shippo hadn’t been expecting it. The laugh was thick, quiet, and uneven from the hitch of her breathing, but it was there. Rin finally sat up, rubbing her palm over her eyes to rid herself of any stray tears. “Well, you were brave too… for a demon,” she offered a weak little smile. Shippo tried to smile at her in return. Rin stared out of the hollow at the forest floor. “Is it true what you said? About your school?”

Shippo tensed at the memory, but managed a quiet, “Yeah...”

“I’m sorry,” Rin sighed, as if she had any reason to be amoung all this. She peered up at the canopy of leaves overhead. “I just want this all to be over. I want things to go back to the way they were.”

“Do you really think they can?” Shippo asked.

Though Rin opened her mouth to answer, she never had the chance. Light footsteps overhead had them both gasping and trying to push back into the hollow as deep as they could to remain out of sight. Shippo’s hand flew to the dagger at his side, but did not unsheathe it yet for fear of giving them away. It was a tense moment of silence before they heard it again - the trotting footsteps, claws scraping at the dirt, and a high-pitched whining. Four paws stepped in front of the hollow’s opening - covered in a light tan fur. Kei dropped her nose toward the hollow, before lowering down on her belly and whining at them.

“It’s Jun and Kei!” Rin cried, already climbing out from under the roots to throw her arms around the dogs. She was nearly shaking with relief as she held onto them, Jun licking her cheek. Shippo climbed out after her, a touch more cautious as he kept a watch out for any danger. Kei shook herself free from Rin’s embrace, biting onto the edge of her sleeve and pulling her forward. Jun did the same, trotting behind Shippo and nudging him with his head in the same direction. “I think they want us to follow,” Rin said as she looked back at Shippo.

Shippo nodded. As soon as they obeyed and started in the direction the dogs were so intent on, Jun and Kei ran ahead, urging them to follow faster. The dogs lead them through the trees, far away from any fighting until they stumbled out in a familiar field. Miroku and Sango’s home, far on the outskirts of the forest and higher above the decimated village, was shielded in one of the largest barriers Shippo had ever seen. Inside the barrier, hundreds of villagers had taken refuge from the battle, surrounding the home and trying to make best of the little resources they had amoung themselves. Rin smiled, safety finally within reach, and ran ahead. Some of the other village children were already calling her name, their parents beckoning the girl inside. She ran through the barrier and it shimmered around her.

But as Shippo tried to follow, he found himself thrown back by a powerful force. He shouted, purified energy sparking over his skin like lightning. Rin turned around, pressing her hand up against the barrier. “Shippo!” she called out, looking back to the adults behind her. “Let him in! We have to let him in!”

A village woman placed her hands on Rin’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, Rin,” she shook her head, staring back at Shippo in sympathy. “The barrier does not allow demons to pass though.”

“No, we have to get him inside!” Rin argued.

Shippo grunted as he picked himself up, shaking off the last painful vestiges of the spiritual energy. He pushed himself up to his feet, looking back at the first and to Rin again. “It’s okay,” he said. “I’ll be fine, I promise. Stay here, I’ll find a way to help.” Rin shook her head, fresh tears welling in her eyes. Shippo knew he couldn’t stay. With Rin shouting after him to wait, Shippo dashed back into the shade of the forest.


End file.
